Starcrossed Lovers
by ironbutterfly25
Summary: True love is not Capitol-made.Gale and Katniss are the tributes of District 12 for the Games.These two will shed a new light for the "star-crossed lovers" strategy in the arena because they don't need to pretend to be madly in love.They're already there.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**The Hunger Games Trilogy and its characters purely belong to Suzanne Collins.

**Summary:**Katniss Everdeen takes her sister's place as a tribute for the 74th Hunger Games. Gale Hawthorne, her best friend, is the male tribute who will go along with her to fight in the arena. They fall in love. Can their love save them from the Games and from the upcoming war? Will their love for each other finally bring down the Capitol?

**Warnings: **Well this is the Hunger Games, there will be violence. Also, sexual themes.

**Pairings: **Gale/Katniss only for the time being ^_^

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><p><strong>Star-crossed Lovers<strong>

**Chapter One: Train Ride**

"Catnip…" I turn towards the source of the voice. I see my best friend for four years standing a few feet away from me. I can see the tired look in his eyes but I guess I'm not the only who can't sleep tonight no matter how lonely and tired I am. The train we are in jerks a little and I have to steady myself for a moment.

"Can't sleep too?" I look back to the window and I feel him move close in on me. Who would have thought that the both of us will be tributes for the Games when we just spent this morning together in the forbidden forest of District 12? We were happy just hours ago but now… It seems like that moment happened in another lifetime.

"I can't sleep. I… I'm thinking about a number of things… Home… our families… y–", I wonder why he stopped. There is silence for a moment. I'm waiting for him to finish what he was saying but after a few moments I realize he won't finish it. I look at him. His head is casted down and his hands are balled into fists. I know what he is thinking. It's what I'm thinking too. How will our families survive while we're fighting for our survival in the arena? Though we still have a little piece of hope, the baker we sometimes sell squirrels to visit me at the Justice Building early this afternoon to give me cookies and to show his support for me. His youngest son visited me as well. His name is Peeta Mellark and he promised me that he will help our families out.

"The baker…" I see Gale look up to see my face. "The baker and his youngest son paid me a visit at the Justice Building a while ago." I see the confusion written all over Gale's face. Of course he'll be confused and surprised about that. We don't have any close relations to the Mellarks.

"Why? What did they say?", he asks me. I lean against the wall and wrap my arms around myself. This night seems colder than what I think it should be.

"Mr. Mellark gave me cookies. I keep them in my room. Maybe we can eat them together later since I guess we both don't have any plans to sleep." I give him a small smile. He just nods a little but the way his brows are still knitted together in confusion tells me that giving me cookies does not really explain why he would visit me.

"He said he knew my Mom back in her apothecary days and he promised me that he will not let our families starve to death." I watch Gale's gray eyes widened in shock. I almost laugh. It's not every day that you can see Gale Hawthorne this surprised. After a while, I see a small tinge of relief in his features. I open my mouth to speak.

"Madge visited me", he says at the same time as I did. This is my turn to be surprised. Madge Undersee? There was just this bad atmosphere between them this morning when we delivered strawberries for her father, the Mayor of District 12. So it's hard for me to imagine that Madge would visit him. As for me, I'm kind of friends with Madge.

"She gave me a gold mockingjay pin. She says it's a token of our District and a lucky charm. Did she give you anything?" I ask. Curiosity fills me right now. He just shakes his head as a "no".

"She didn't. She just wished that the odds will be in our favor then she gave me a hug… She also said that she along with her family will help out our families while we're away", Gale explains to me. I feel warmth spreading across my chest. There are actually people who care… Our families are in good hands. But… for how long will they be there to help them? Gale and I… There's a high possibility that we won't be able to return home… The reality that one… only one of us will be able to return home.

I didn't realize I'm shaking until Gale's warm hand envelopes mine. I look into his eyes and I see my own pain and sadness reflected from those gray eyes of his.

"We taught Rory how to hunt… He's capable… I know he'll be able t–", Gale tries to sound optimistic but my tears are already rolling down my cheeks. We will die. I cannot bear the thought that Prim and my mother might starve to death once I'm gone. I can try to win and be the Victor… I can ensure the security of my family and Gale's but no… I think I'll die first before I let myself kill him or let anyone else kill him. I'd rather die with him. I'm so sorry, Prim. But I just can't…

Gale pulls me in a tight embrace and I let go completely. I let my tears stream down my face like waterfalls. My sobs are so loud that it will be no wonder if Effie Trinket and Haymitch Abernathy will be woken up by the sound of it. Gale rubs his hands on my back.

"Shushhh… Catnip. You won't die. You will win. And you will return home…", My eyes widen. No… No! He's not thinking about keeping me alive in the arena! He should not be thinking like that! He should not do it! I push him away and look up in his eyes.

"N-No, Gale…" I croak out. His hand reaches up and wipes the tears off of my face. There's sadness in his features but to my horror there's determination… pure determination in his eyes. He's serious about it. He… H-He… He will die for me. My mind goes blank at the thought. I watch his lips move but I cannot hear what he is saying. I just stare at him. My mouth is hanging open. I want to tell him not to do it. But words can't leave my mouth.

After a while, he shakes me and there's an agitated look on his face. "Listen to me, Katniss!" That snaps me out. I look down for a moment to prepare myself to listen to him.

"I'll have your back in the arena… Just like what we always do in the woods", he says. No, he's lying. Because it will not be like what we always do. "I know we can beat them. I know you can. We know how to hunt. They want a good show. That's all they want. We'll give them a good show. We'll show them how good we are. Then… Then you'll be able to go home." My whole body becomes cold. No, I cannot accept anything he says. Why is he making plans for my survival? Why?... Why can't he just think of himself?

"No… No, Gale." He grabs my shoulders and shakes me a little.

"Katniss… You need to return home! Prim… your mother. They need you!" This is the first time he raised his voice at me. My tears can't stop from falling. I feel so weak but if he's going to knock some sense into my head then I'll knock some into his as well. I grab onto his arms and give him a determined and hard look.

"What about you?... What about you huh, Gale? You have three younger siblings! Three! And your mother! What will happen to them if you go along with your little heroic plan?" I scream at his face. His face hardens.

"You won't let them down. I know you won't", he firmly says. I press my hands against his chest before pushing him away as hard as I can.

"I won't! Of course I won't! But… B-But… But do you think I can face them without you? Do you think I can go home without you? I can't! I can't go home without you! I won't be going home without you!" A hiccup escapes my throat and it's followed by another and another. My chest hurts. I've been crying so much. But I can't help it. This… This is just too much for me to bear.

"You… You deserve to go home more than I…" I manage to say in a not too shaky voice. But my whole body is trembling. "I'll feel better if you… if y-you're the one who can go home." He slams his fist against the wall making me jump.

"No, Katniss… You don't know what you're saying…" He is gritting his teeth. I have this feeling that he might slam me onto the wall just to get his thoughts through me.

"You won't die in that fucking arena, do you hear me?" I swallow even if it's hard for me to do so. His eyes look dangerous and murderous.

"You won't die. I won't let you die. I won't let anyone kill you in that arena… I won't let you die even if you want to! You will go home. You need to return home to our families and that is final!" I feel anger flare up within me. I move close to him and hit his chest with my small fists.

"Who are you to decide for me? Mind your life! Don't bother with me! I don't need you to decide for me! I don't need you to protect me, Gale!" I keep on hitting him hoping that if I hurt him enough physically he will understand that I cannot accept his plan no matter what.

"You… You try your best to win… I'll do my best as well. But… I… I'd rather…" I look into his eyes again. My hands clutch on the fabric of his shirt. My heart is beating so fast. I stare at his face. Putting into memory his dark and thick brows, the strong defined lines of his jaw, his perfect nose, those lips, and those gentle gray eyes I've known for years. A sob escapes my lips… The days that I will be able to see his face is already numbered the moment I stepped up to take Prim's place in the 74th Hunger Games.

There's this feeling… this strong feeling in my chest. I don't know what it is but it yearns for me to let it free. I've always like Gale. But I made it a promise to myself that I will not fall in love and I will not bring forth more unfortunate children into this world for the Capitol to reap for their bloody Games.

I look at my hands clutching on his shirt. I can feel the loud and strong beating of his heart. I want… no I need this heart to continue beating. I will do anything for this heart to continue beating. I will do anything for him to survive… to continue living even if I'm not there anymore.

"Gale… I… I-I…" I search his eyes to read his emotions but all I can see is determination and hope. "I… I'd rather die with you in the arena… than go home without you." It's final for me. If his decision is final as well then I don't care. We will fight to keep the other alive. But eventually one of us will fall. It sounds unreasonable. It sounds mad. But I'll take my own life if he falls first in the arena. It's mad. But what is driving me to think of such mad thoughts? I know I care so much for Gale. But I also know that there is more to this. There is more. There is something deeper within me that drive me to do this. What is it?

I watch him take deep breaths. He's probably still processing my words. "I don't want you to die, Catnip… I can't bear the thought of it." His voice sounds strained and in pain.

"Same here…" I whisper and wipe my tears with the back of my hand but they keep on falling anyway. I let his shirt go and turn to open the door of my quarters when he grabs my arm and slams me hard against the wall next to the door of my room.

"Gale, wha–", I never get to finish my sentence. My back aches but his lips are now pressed against mine, making me forget about the little pain.

It's my first kiss. I have no idea how it should be done or how it should feel. But I just press myself harder against his body. My arms wrap around his neck pulling him closer. I want him as close as possible. A first kiss maybe should be gentle and sweet to make it perfect. But Gale is kissing me desperately right now and it's perfect because I'm desperate too. His lips are so warm and it makes me feel like I cannot breathe without him.

He pulls away to breathe and I look at him with half-lidded eyes. My mind is foggy because of the kiss. My lips tingle for him to kiss me again. He just watches me and I can't take it anymore. If he won't move… then I will. I place my lips on his again and soon enough he returns my gentle kiss with such force. I find myself getting pressed harder on the wall and Gale's hands begin to wander on my body.

My breathing hitches when his left hand grasps the skirt of the blue dress I'm wearing then he pushes it up. I gasp when he wedges his knee in between my thighs, pushing them apart. I hold onto him tightly as he hoists me up. He releases my lips much to my displeasure. He is breathing heavily just like me. He presses his forehead against mine and I move to kiss him. He kisses me back shortly before pulling away again. Our eyes meet. He reaches up and caresses my face with his right hand.

"Catnip…" He whispers and it sounds like music to my ears. "I want to be with you…" He successfully gets his thought across by running his hand over my right thigh. Shivers run down my spine. Am I ready? I ask myself. His warmth sends my whole body on fire. I want him. I want to be with Gale as well. But I… I'm just sixteen… I…

"Gale… I… I'm… I'm not ready yet…" I expect disappointment to fill his features but he only smiles at me. He kisses the tip of my nose then my forehead.

"We'll worry about tomorrow later… Let's get some sleep for now." He tells me before carrying me into my room.

He places me on the soft bed and tucks me in. He places a soft kiss on my forehead then wishes me goodnight before turning to leave. I get a hold of his wrist. He turns back to me. I feel heat spreading over my cheeks… but I don't really think I'll be able to sleep tonight... without him.

"Stay with me…" He didn't say anything. He just slips next to me under the covers and I quickly cuddle with him. I hold him close, taking in his scent. The scent of home. And I feel safe.

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><p>The next morning, I wake up to see Gale sleeping soundly next to me. The proximity of his face to mine makes my heart beat faster. I move to sit up but his arms just lock more securely around me as a reflex. I soon give up the fight and just lie there watching the rise and fall of his chest as he breathes. I remember the kiss… the kisses last night. My eyes get drawn to his lips and before I realize what I'm doing I move closer to Gale and lean in to kiss him when my door slams open.<p>

"Big! Big! Big d–! What… What is this?" At my doorway, Effie Trinket stands with her ridiculously looking pink wig. Her eyes are so wide in shock that I can mistake them for saucer plates. I just fake a yawn and stretches out a bit.

"Good morning, Effie." I greet her in a not so happy way. Gale shifts next to me. He soon stirs and wakes up. He sees me and smiles. But before he can do anything that will make the situation worse, he sees Effie and decides to slip off of the bed. Effie looks relieved for the fact that Gale and I are fully clothed.

I watch Gale walk out of my room. Effie gets over her initial shock and runs after him. Maybe she just told him about breakfast or something. She soon returns to my room. She eyes me for a moment before clearing her throat.

"That was quite a surprise. You two seem to be close. That's something new I must say. Anyway, breakfast is ready. Your mentor and I will be waiting for you two at the dining area. I hope you will hurry up. Haymitch for once is sober enough to talk to you guys. That's all." I watch her walk away. I let out a sigh before dragging myself into the bathroom to take a quick shower.

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><p>When I set foot in the dining area, Gale is already there sitting across from Haymitch. I take the empty seat between Gale and the window. My eyes then land on Haymitch Abernathy, our mentor. He is the only Victor of District 12. He won in the 50th Hunger Games or much known as the 2nd Quarter Quell. My eyes are glued on him. He is such a heavy drinker and this is actually the first time I see him clean… and sober. He didn't even show up to have dinner with us last night because he got himself too drunk… again.<p>

We start to eat. Only the sounds of our utensils can be heard in the area and the silence suffocates me. I remember my exchange with Gale last night. After I have taken my shower… no matter how much I liked the kisses we have shared, I have to accept the fact that it just made the situation for us more complicated. Today is another day and it means that we are a day closer to the day of our possible deaths. The thought of watching Gale die before my eyes makes my heart ache so much that I can't swallow. I grab the glass of water and drink the water hurriedly. When I'm done, I see Gale looking at me with concern in his eyes.

"Are you alright, Catnip?" He asks me and I just give him a small nod. Gale opens his mouth to speak more but then Haymitch laughs so loud that our attentions are drawn towards him.

I manage to catch Effie looking at him with disgust in her eyes. It takes a while for Haymitch to calm down.

"What's so funny huh?" Gale sounded annoyed when he said that. Haymitch gives him a calculating look.

"I can say that our tributes for this year are very interesting. You guys… are friends. Close friends perhaps… Or even sweethearts." I notice Gale's hands curl into hard fists after Haymitch voiced out his observation. The middle aged man shakes his head. "Seriously… you have a nickname for her. That is very sweet. I wonder if you'll still call her 'Catnip' when the time comes that you have to kill her."

It happened so fast. For a moment Gale was just sitting there next to me then the next thing I know he's on top of the table with his hands grabbing Haymitch's collar. His gray eyes are darkened with the anger he must be feeling. I suddenly fear for what may happen to him. Effie is in shock for the second time today but Haymitch looks calm and collected.

"I'm just stating the truth, kid. The Games is not some kind of tag team tournament. The Games is the kind of game where in there will be one… _only__one_ last man standing in the arena. Attachments won't really get you anywhere. If you stick together it's good at the start but then it will be a lot harder if it comes down to just the two of you." I understand what Haymitch is saying. But… it hurts. Gale releases Haymitch as he takes calming breaths. He moves back to his chair when Haymitch reaches over and punches Gale squarely on the face, making him fall onto the floor. Effie gasps and stands up from her chair.

I grab the knife for cutting the bread and hold onto it tight. I lock my eyes on Haymitch if he tries something more dangerous against Gale… I'll make sure this knife will find some refuge on some part of his body. I don't care if he is our mentor.

Gale glares up at Haymitch as he wipes the blood trickling down his nose. He lunges at Haymitch. The older man dodges the first punch but Gale kicks him down on the stomach. Haymitch gets up and Gale readies himself to fight back. I don't know what's gotten to our supposed to be mentor but I can't find a valid reason for him to punch Gale out of the blue. I throw the knife at him. He manages to dodge it just in time and the knife lodges itself on the wooden wall right next to Haymitch's face.

"Wh–… What are you guys doing?" I see Effie trying to calm herself. Haymitch retrieves the knife then he looks up to scrutinize Gale and I.

"It seems like I got a pair of fighters this year." He says in an amused and glad tone. I relax my muscles believing that what happened is just a test of our abilities. But I see that Gale still has his guard up. He's always been the cautious one. Our mentor sits back on his chair, playing with the bread knife in his hands.

"Perhaps your attachment to each other can come into use in the arena. I think that you two make a good team." Gale grits his teeth and I move close to him. The blood is still streaming down his nose. I got some tissue and start to dab on his injury as gently as I can.

"You don't know what the two of us can do together." Gale says it like a warning. He says it with such confidence. I feel hope spread over my chest. I'm confident about our abilities together as well. Whenever we hunt, the two of us work as one, move us one, feel as one. We act like we are two beings with one body.

"Then… better. You two can just worry how to kill each other off the moment it comes down to the two of you. But for the beginning of the Games, I guess it will be your advantage if you stick together as long as you can." I hear Haymitch say but most of my attention is on how I can make Gale's nose stop bleeding. I don't really like seeing blood. It makes me sick even if I'm supposed to be a daughter and sister of healers.

"Go back to your seats and tell me what you guys can exactly do…" Haymitch stuffs bread into his mouth. I lead Gale back to his seat though he is still giving Haymitch a death glare. After a moment, neither of us speaks, our mentor grows impatient. "So?" He asks again.

"We can hunt." Gale supplies him the information he needs. "I'm good with snares and knots. Katniss is excellent on bow and arrows." I can see the amusement light up our mentor's gray eyes. "But… we can actually do both since we taught each other how to." The amusement in Haymitch's eyes is replaced with something close to… pity.

"You two know each other like the backs of each other's hands. I know this is complicated for you. It will be very difficult for the both of you. But all I can suggest is… you stick together. This is the best strategy I can offer. Work as a team; forget what bullshit I said earlier. Work as one. I'll figure something more out during training and the actual Games." I wonder if Haymitch had always been this serious in life before he drowned himself in alcohol. We both give him a nod of understanding.

"One more thing… Don't interfere with my drinking and I'll make sure I'll be sober enough for the times needed to be spent on mentoring you both."

I feel Gale creep his hand on mine under the table. I hold onto his hand and give him a small smile. I think we can do this. We just need more faith in each other. For now I don't want to think that one of us will die… I'll just think about it once we're in the arena.

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><p>That's it for Chapter 1! I know there's been a number of fics with the idea of having Gale as the male tribute for the 74th Hunger Games instead of Peeta. I just want to give it a shot and I want to write up to Mockingjay. I just thought that it will be really interesting to have Gale in the 3rd Quarter Quell ^_^ Thanks for reading and please do leave some reviews. Thank you!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**Star-crossed Lovers**

**Summary:** True love is not Capitol-made. Gale and Katniss are the tributes of District 12 for the Games. These two will shed a new light for the "star-crossed lovers" strategy in the arena because they don't need to pretend to be madly in love with each other. They're already there.

**Disclaimer:** The Hunger Games trilogy and its characters solely belong to Suzanne Collins.

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><p><strong>Chapter Two:<strong>

I let a gasp escape my throat after this aqua haired woman named Venia pulled some kind of sticky fabric off of my leg along with the hair. She looks at me and gives me an apologetic look. "Sorry dear. But we have to pretty you up and you just happen to be so hairy." Well sorry for being a hairy beast is what I want to say but I don't think picking a fight with one of the members of my 'prep team' will do anyone any good. So I try to relax on my chair and bear with it as she places another strip of that sticky fabric of doom on a different part of my leg that is still _hairy_. I wonder how long I've been in here… I lost track of the time already it might be more than three hours of torture but I'm not really sure. Gale has been whisked away by his own prep team. Maybe he's finished with this already since… he is someone who doesn't really need to be 'pretty up'.

That ripping sound chases away my thoughts of Gale as Venia uproots the tiny hairs on my leg once again. She raises one finger at me saying that she just has to do it one last time and I'm done. So I prepare myself and after a few moments it's over.

A guy named Flavius walks towards me. He plays with a strand of his shockingly orange hair before he gives me a smile. I don't really know if I should smile back but I ended up not smiling back since I don't have any reason to smile anyway with the fact that my whole body feels sore. I totally feel like they have just skinned me alive.

A shiver runs down my spine because I remember skinning rabbits and squirrels with Gale back in the forest of District 12 and an image of me being skinned in the arena flashes in my mind. Nothing like that had happened in the Games before and no matter how much the Capitol likes the gore and brutality, the chance that a tribute will skin another is zero. Since a hovercraft arrives to claim the body of the dead tribute soon enough before some psycho tribute does something worse to the corpse.

In the moment that I was busy imagining my death in the arena, a plump woman with the name of Octavia, started to apply some kind of lotion on my raw skin. I flinch at the first contact but surprisingly, it soon feels better. My eyes stare at the pea green shade of Octavia's skin. I hope that the lotion she's applying to me is not some kind of coloring chemical or something. I shudder at the thought of my skin having the same shade as the purple lipstick Flavius is now applying on his lips. I observe the pinkish color of my skin for a moment waiting for it to change its color and turn me into some hideous creature… nothing happens and I finally release the breath I didn't realize I was holding.

These three Capitol people watches me and for the first time since the moment they stripped me naked, I suddenly feel self-conscious. I guess I have the right to be, given the fact that they are looking at me like I'm some kind of newly made mutt that is needed to be watched closely to understand the 'new' being. I watch Flavius move his tweezers to pluck out a hair from my eyebrow. It happened so fast that even though it was painful I didn't even manage a wince, I just blinked. They circle me like vultures and after a moment they have these big smiles on their faces and are already clapping their hands.

"You look like a human being now!" says Flavius. And I force out a smile at them.

"Thank you really." I say and Octavia claps her hands some more.

"Let's call Cinna now!" She says. Cinna. That is probably my stylist.

"You poor darling, I guarantee that after Cinna is done with you… You will have your picture in the dictionary as the meaning of the word 'gorgeous'." I'm unsure what to say about Venia's kind remark.

"I can't express how excited I am." I wonder if I sounded so fake or what. Though I'm quite curious as to what my stylist will put me in for the opening ceremony of the 74th Hunger Games. I watch Octavia run out of the room.

A few minutes later, a man in simple black shirt and pants graces us with his presence. That must be Cinna. It's quite shocking that he looks very normal. It's like he's not from the Capitol at all. I find myself fascinated by his green eyes and the metallic gold eye liner he has adorned his eyes with just brings out the gold specks of his eyes.

He stops in front of me and offers me a smile. This time I smile back. The atmosphere around this man is just too good I cannot help myself. He greets me and surprisingly enough his voice lacks that Capitol accent. He circles me twice or thrice before he leads me into another room. I slip my robe on and I spot our lunch. My stomach growls at the sight of the chicken. Here in the Capitol, food appears with just a push of a button while at home… Home. I don't really want to think much about it.

Cinna and I proceed to have a little chat. He tells me that a person named Portia is Gale's stylist and they plan to put us, tributes of District 12, in complementary costumes.

"Coal mining is Twelve's industry," Cinna says. The costumes of the tributes for the Games are supposed to represent the industry of their District. All I can hope right now is for the simplicity of a coal miner outfit as my costume. But I guess that no matter how simple my stylist looks, it does not mean he'll put me in a simple costume. Looking good and flashy at the opening ceremonies will ensure sponsors in the Games. While that sounds good to me, I don't think I'll like the idea of being naked and covered in coal dust. That will be really embarrassing but if that's what my stylist has in store for me; I have no choice but to deal with it. It's not like anyone will remember me and my nakedness if I die at the beginning of the Games.

"What do we do with coal?" I see Cinna smile at me. He seems to be excited about it. "We burn it." I blink at him several times. Burn it. What? He'll set me on fire? Is that even allowed? What if I get injured? That's quite dangerous. His smile widens in a way like he can read my thoughts.

"It's not real fire. Portia and I created the concept of it. And I promise you it will not be dangerous at all." He pats my shoulder and I smile at him.

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><p>Hours later, I find myself in a simple black unitard that covers me from ankle to neck and shiny leather boots lace up to my knees. I don't really know what's dashing about this outfit but it's completed with a cape made up of orange, red and yellow streaks. A headpiece also adorns my hair which is styled in a braid similar to what my mother did during the Reaping. Cinna told me that he will set them, the cape and the headpiece, on fire just before our chariot leaves for the streets of the Capitol.<p>

I'm waiting for Gale to appear here in this huge stable under the Remake Center. Another minute passes by and I start to worry what might have happened to Gale. I hope that he didn't fight with his prep team and stylist just because of his unwavering hate towards the Capitol and its people. I let out a sigh.

Just then I spot him wearing the same costume as mine and being escorted by his prep team. His usual scowl is on his handsome face but he doesn't seem to be annoyed or maybe he's just too good at masking his emotions. The rest of the tributes arrive as well and they start to get in their chariots.

Gale assists me to get on ours. "Gale, they'll set us on fire." I whisper to him as if he doesn't already know about it. He takes my hand in his and squeezes it. I observe his face. I think I never seen his face look this fresh and smooth before. I think they even trim his thick dark brows but over all I'm convinced they didn't do much to him.

"Don't worry, Catnip. The burning capes will be ripped off by me before they even scathe us." He gives me a reassuring smile and I can almost see the annoyance he's hiding. He's probably cursing our stylists for such a dangerous idea. "Where's Haymitch anyway? I thought he might be useful for this sort of thing considering he is our mentor. I hope he doesn't want his tributes burned to death before the Games even start." I tug on his hand.

"I think it is better he's not here. Alcohol is flammable you know." I grin at him and he grins back understanding the reason behind my words. We laugh. I then focus my eyes on the chariots moving out of the stable. The District 1 goes out first and given the fact that their industry is luxury, it's no wonder that their stylists can easily make their tributes look spectacular and shining under the lights. The moment District 11 is about to go out, Cinna lights up our costumes with the use of a lighted torch. I hold my breath waiting for the painful burning to engulf me but my mind just registers the color of the flames being reflected in Cinna's eyes. I can see myself in his eyes and it's enough to make my jaw drop.

Cinna smiles and Portia claps her hands in happiness. "It worked." Cinna tells her. I wonder for a second what would happen if it didn't but I guess I can just live now with the thought that this setting us on fire thing worked. I turn to Gale and I cannot stop the amazement being etched on my face. Gale smiles at me.

"Katniss Everdeen… The girl on fire. It sounds good right, Catnip?" The flames are dancing in his eyes as he looks at me that I cannot even find the words to tell him how dazzling he looks right now. He holds my hand tighter and leans close to me. I hope for a moment for him to kiss me but I guess that it's better if he doesn't. "You look amazing." He whispers on my ear and my heart skips several beats. I feel heat spreading all over my body and I know that it's not because of these fake flames.

Our chariot moves and I catch Cinna who looks like he is about to say something but then his eyes looks somewhere around my hand holding onto Gale's. He just smiles. "Keep smiling! Hold your head high! They will love you!" I hear him cheer us on. A smile stretches over my lips.

Our chariot moves out and the moment the first round of people see us, I almost feel the earth shake with the intensity of their loud cheers and applause. "District 12!" They cheer with such pure joy in their voices. I turn to Gale suddenly worried that he's gracing the people with his deadly scowl but my smile just widens when I see him smiling at the crowd, waving at them, acting like he loves them. This is the first time I see him like this but even though he acts like he adores the Capitol right now, the burning fire in his gray eyes tells me that it's the exact opposite of what he portrays himself to be.

I turn my attention back to the crowd, keeping my smile even though the muscles of my cheeks are starting to feel tired. They are showering us with flowers and through the frenzy of their cheers I make out the undeniable fact that Gale Hawthorne has already claimed the hearts of these Capitol people, especially the women. I hear them shout his name as if their lives are dependent on it. They blow him kisses and wink at him. I watch us on one of the gigantic screens. Yes. We look breathtaking, dazzling, gorgeous and the likes. But Gale looks like he stepped out from a different world. He just looks other-worldly with his blazing cape. His eyes looks dangerous and at the same time enchanting. I watch him on the screens more, getting lost in the beautiful yet dark aura emanating from him. I feel him tug on my hand and I realize that I've been watching for too long, I might have looked dumbstruck for a moment there.

"Smile for me, Katniss." He whispers to me. His warm breath making me feel a lot warmer and I smile almost automatically. And as I see myself smiling from one of the big screens put up in the streets of the Capitol, I can see that it must have been the sweetest smile I ever managed in my whole sixteen years of life and Gale is the one who brought it out.

But I guess I've charmed the crowd as well because they cheer my name so loud. I catch a beautiful red rose and I press my lips on the delicate petals for a moment before I start to blow kisses. The crowd started to go into a higher level of frenzy if that is even possible. I catch another glimpse of us on one of the screens again. Our capes make it look like we are leaving flames behind our trail. My eyes glue on Gale's image again. I see him kiss a red rose he has caught and the smile that follows is infectious. I can almost hear the crowd sigh in awe at the sight of it.

I then remember those ancient gods my father used to tell us short stories about. Even my father didn't have much information about them but the stories were fascinating enough. And as I take in Gale more… He probably looks like an embodiment of Hades, the god of the Underworld, right now. I actually pictured that god to be ugly and terrifying with the thought that he rules over the dead which is not really a nice concept to be associated with. The beautiful yet dark god riding on his chariot that is being pulled by his black steeds. That what Gale looks to me now. You know he is dangerous and deadly but you cannot help it but to get pulled into his charm and his burning flames. And who do I embody? Persephone, the wife of Hades? Father said she is a beautiful and delicate maiden. And as I look at my image on the screen, I think that I may be anything but delicate.

I wonder if Gale planned to charm the Capitol like this in order to have the odds in his favor. Fear suddenly envelops my heart. I don't know why I even think about. The thought makes my heart ache but I cannot help it but to think now that Gale might kill me in the arena. This is horrible. How can I think of him in that way? After everything… He then squeezes my hand and I look at him to see worry in his eyes. The gentle look on his face makes me forget about my fear.

"Your hand suddenly feels cold." He says and I give him a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine." I say to him. The chariots then fill the loop at the City Circle. I keep on holding Gale's hand as President Snow, a small and thin looking man with very white hair, welcomes us at his balcony. We soon get back into the Training Center. Our prep teams are actually bouncing on their feet in delight because of how the Capitol seemed to love us a while ago.

A warm hand is placed on my cheek. I look at Gale. There's still worry in his eyes. "Are you okay, Catnip? You look a little pale." I bite on my lower lip as I shake my head.

"I'm just fine. Maybe just a little tired. It was quite dizzying a while ago with all the lights, camera flashing, and the crowd's cheers were deafening." I finish reasoning out before Cinna steps close to us.

"That is more than what I was expecting. They absolutely love you." He says. Gale removes his cape off in haste.

"Yeah. I hope their burning blind love will get us out of the arena alive." Sarcasm drips from Gale's words. Cinna seems to be surprise by it. Gale removes my cape and head dress. I want to say something to Cinna but words cannot seem to get out of my mouth at the moment. I feel Gale dragging me towards the elevator. I manage to give Cinna an apologetic look before the elevator doors close before me and Gale.

He punches the elevator button with the number 12 on it. I look at him wondering why he's getting all angry now. He looks at me and senses my confusion. He opens his mouth to speak.

"The Capitol people were so a–! " I don't like the idea of Gale getting killed because of his hateful words for the Capitol, every corner in this Training Center might be bugged, so before he can get to finish his sentence, I press my lips against his. I feel his body relax against mine as he holds me loosely. I pull away when I sense that he realized why I did that. He takes a deep breath.

"Sorry." He mumbles before he places a kiss on my forehead. We reach our floor and he walks me to my room. His room is across from mine. He plays with my hands and he looks like he's sorry about something.

"I won't lose control again. Sorry, Catnip. I'll protect you all throughout this Games." He lets go of my hand and turns his back on me to move to his room. I take long strides and hug him from behind.

"I got your back." I say softly to him. I know he just smiled even if I cannot see his face right now.

"I got yours too." He says and I let him go so he can face me again.

"I'll see you at dinner. I'm starving." I rub my belly for emphasis. He laughs at this.

"Same here. We can stuff ourselves later. See you." He says and I watch him disappear into his room.

Tomorrow, training will start. Suddenly, the faces of the Career tributes from One, Two, and Four flash in my mind. I just manage to get a glimpse of them a while ago. But that huge and hulking blonde male tribute from District 2 stays in my mind. I just have the feeling that he's the one we should kill in the arena.

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><p>End of Chapter Two~ Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! ^_^<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

**Star-crossed Lovers**

**Summary:** True love is not Capitol-made. Gale and Katniss are the tributes of District 12 for the Games. These two will shed a new light for the "star-crossed lovers" strategy in the arena because they don't need to pretend to be madly in love with each other. They're already there.

**Disclaimer:** The Hunger Games trilogy and its characters solely belong to Suzanne Collins.

**Warnings: **Well this is the Hunger Games, there will be blood and violence and also some sexual themes.

**Pairings: **Gale/Katniss only for the time being ^_^

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><p><strong>Chapter Three:<strong>

When I step in the dining hall, my eyes quickly scan the area to find Gale. I manage to see him at the balcony overlooking the Capitol. Surprisingly, he's with our stylists, Cinna and Portia, and by the looks of it they are having a very friendly chat. I feel like spying on them for a while until someone that looks like one of the servants here offers me a glass of wine. I'm not someone who likes alcoholic drinks and it's not like I had reasons or the capability to have them in District Twelve. No matter how hard life is in Twelve, I never thought of trading my game for a bottle of white liquor just to drown my pain and worries.

I eye the red wine in the glasses placed neatly on the servant's tray. He's giving me a gentle smile. I smile back at him and snatch one of the glasses from his tray. He gives me short bow before heading off. I was kind of hoping that he'll say something about how good the wine tastes to convince me to get a glass. Maybe he's just not the talkative type or whatever.

I look into the glass of wine in my hand before looking up at Gale's direction. Maybe he will like to have a glass as well so I go and get him one. I approach the trio and Gale sees me. I give him a smile before giving him a glass of red wine. He gives me a questioning look.

"Well we can just try this now here while we're in the Capitol." I tell him before taking a sip on my drink.

"You guys have a reason to drink. The opening ceremonies turned out to be spectacular because of the both of you." Portia says happily and pats Gale's shoulder.

"No. It was all you and Cinna's doing. Your burning concept back there did it. It was all your idea." I tell Portia. "I bet anyone would look that stunning while wearing those burning costumes." I add before gulping down my wine. It tastes good actually. Sweet but not too sweet. I really like it. I turn to Gale to see if he has drunk his wine. His glass appears to be empty as well.

"Let's head inside. They'll be serving dinner now." Cinna says and leads us inside. I can't help it but to notice how Cinna and Gale seem to be friends now with Cinna's arm hanging casually around Gale's shoulders. I stare at the scene before me. Gale was just fuming a while ago and he actually showed Cinna his attitude but now they are acting like they are best buddies. What happened before I arrived here?

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><p>Soon enough dinner is served. Haymitch and Effie join us at our table. Everyone is talking about the opening ceremonies and soon they are discussing about what we will wear for the interview night. I busy myself with eating. I mean I can't help it every dish in front of me seems to be calling out for me to eat them. Gale seems to be very accessible to everyone tonight. He talks to them as if they are his friends. I don't really see anything wrong with that. Cinna and Portia despite the fact they are from the Capitol are people who has good atmosphere wrapped around them. They're actually easy to talk to. You can't help it but to feel that you can trust them. As for Haymitch, I guess Gale is talking to him because he's our mentor. Yeah, we both have to tolerate Haymitch's behavior since he's our mentor. He's a key feature for our survival… <em>for the survival of one of us<em>.

I have no idea how much wine I had already taken in. But my head is kind of feeling heavy now. I always knew that any alcoholic beverages won't give any good results. But that red wine really tastes good so… that's it. Some servant places a gorgeous cake at the center of our table. It looks so pretty I wish I can just give it to my younger sister, Prim. _Prim_. The fog in my mind clears out as my thoughts gather on Prim. I wonder how she is holding up. Is she eating well? I'm here eating all of these food while I have no idea if my sister and mother has eaten anything for the day.

I know they are fine. I hope they are fine. I have to _believe_ they are fine. They just have to bear with it until Gale returns home... Now my mind goes to think about the upcoming Games. Gale must return home to our families... I will make sure of that. My thoughts are blown away the moment the cake bursts into flames. I admit that fear strikes me first but soon enough I realize the beauty of it. Wow. I bet this is another of Cinna's doing. I swear our stylists have an obsession with fire or something. I look up to the servant. She's actually pretty with dark glossy thick red hair. My eyes widen as I recognize the girl.

"Hey! I know you!" Everyone at our table has their eyes on me. Gale turns to look at the girl as well. I can see how his body tense up upon seeing the girl. He recognizes her too! There is no mistaking it. We have seen this girl… My mind replays that day when we saw her. It just seemed to be an ordinary hunting day in the woods when suddenly all the birds stopped singing except one and it was giving off a sound which was a warning call. Gale and I quickly hid ourselves. We saw two children, a girl and a boy. They were running desperately to get away from something. I thought of helping them but I was also filled with fear at that time. A hovercraft appeared. This girl was captured in a net and was taken into the hovercraft as for the boy… Some kind of spear impaled him. It was attached to a cable and he was dragged into the craft as well. The girl's scream was blood-curling. The girl is alive… Then did the boy die… or was he miraculously revived? Because I swear he looked like anything but alive back there…

I look at the red haired girl now. She is looking at me with fright evident in her eyes as she shakes her head hard trying to deny the obvious fact that she recognizes me as well. She is trembling and this makes me think that I'll be just getting her into trouble if I insist on talking to her. But I want to talk to her… ask her a few questions perhaps… but she hurries away from our table.

I want to come after her but Gale takes a firm hold of my hand and I try to relax on my chair. That's the time I notice that everyone is looking at me. Gale is just looking down at his half empty plate. He looks alright but the way he's clutching my hand says he's not feeling well at all.

"How could you know her? She's an Avox. Seriously sweetheart, that's impossible." Haymitch says as he shakes his head. Avox? What in the hell is that?

"What's an Avox?" I ask extremely curious.

"Some kind of traitor. They cut their tongues out so they can't talk." Haymitch makes a cutting motion with his knife and it sends shivers down my spine. My body suddenly feels cold.

"How come you know her… _a traitor_?" Effie asks. The way she asks it makes me think that this will get me into trouble.

"Now that I get a better look… I can't blame you, Catnip." Gale says as he gives my hand a squeeze. I watch the people at our table turn their attention to him. He is looking at the red haired girl in a scrutinizing way. He looks back at the people at our table.

"It's the hair. She looks like someone from our school in Twelve. Delly right?" He asks me. His eyes are shining. It's like he's surprised by this revelation. I know he's just trying to back me up. That Avox does not look like Delly Cartwright at all.

"Yeah! Something about the eyes too. Maybe I'm just missing home so much I'm starting to see people." I say with a grin on my face. Everyone seems to believe us and the happy atmosphere is back on our table.

After dinner, Gale is still holding my hand. He leads me to the roof. I don't know why he brought me here but I think I can hardly care. The view is amazing and the air feels good on my skin. For a moment I let myself accept the thought that the Capitol actually looks breathtaking especially by how the lights in the city shine and sparkle before my eyes right now.

"The wind's good right? It's kind of strong but it feels good." Gale says a bit too loudly but I understand what he means by this. We can talk here… I know I'm not the only one bothered by the thought of that red haired Avox. We can talk about it here. The wind is strong enough to mask the 'forbidden' talk we are about to have.

I walk over to the flowers and proceed to admire a blossom. "So she survived huh… Do you think the boy did as well?" I ask him. He picks up a blue colored rose. There are no thorns on its stem. Gale twirls it between his fingers.

"No. I think he didn't… He looks dead when they carried him off." He says. His tone is cold.

"If… If we were able to help them…" I trail off because I think we wouldn't be successful even if we tried.

"We would either be dead or taken to be turned to Avox if we helped them back then." I guess we're thinking the of the same thing… But still I feel guilty and by the look on Gale's face. He's feeling guilty as well.

"What do you think happened to them?... Why were they being chased? Were they tributes or what? They looked like they're from the Capitol… It's hardly they were rebels." I tell Gale. He doesn't say anything after that. He remains quiet for the next minutes but the fire burning in his gray eyes speak loud enough. I can't help it but to see that beautiful dark god riding his chariot again. I know what Gale is thinking. He's angry about how the Capitol had treated those defenseless children… He's always been angry about the injustices going on under the Capitol's rule. I don't like this as well but what can we do? The Districts already tried to overthrow the Capitol seventy-four years ago. They failed. They never attained the freedom they fought so hard for. The Capitol bombed District Thirteen to nothingness. We are all still stuck here with the Capitol's bonds choking us more each day… And we can't do anything about it...

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><p>I lie fully awake in my bed. I can tell it's pretty late by now but sleep won't consume me. I have to get some good night's rest so I can be in a good shape for training tomorrow but I can't sleep. A knock on my door startles me. Who could that be? At this late? Fear consumes my heart. I can't help it but to think about the red-haired Avox. What if the Capitol officials think that they need to interrogate me? What if the wind was not really strong enough to be able to conceal the small exchange I had with Gale early this evening?<p>

"Catnip, it's me." My fear evaporates quickly just like how water disappears down the drain. It's amazing how Gale can scare me out of my wits for a second then make me feel so relieved and safe the next second. I bet that even if I didn't answer him he knows that I'm awake. Is he a psychic or something? I slip out of my bed and run to the door to open it. I'm greeted by Gale Hawthorne's naked chest. I can feel the heat creeping up on my cheeks. What is he doing here at this hour just wearing a pair of loose pants?

"Won't you invite me in?" He asks. The look on his face tells me that he thinks it's perfectly normal and comfortable for me to see him like this.

"What are you doing here?" I know he is finding my tone cold right now. That's exactly what I want him to think. First he scared me then now he's making me extremely uncomfortable. I know this isn't the first time I've seen him in this state of undress. I've seen him in lesser clothes but… but… we were brother and sister back during those times. Since the kisses… something has already changed in our relationship.

"I can't sleep," he says.

"So you expect me to sing you a lullaby or something?" Okay. I'm a little bit annoyed and he notices my foul mood.

"Were you sleeping when I knocked?" He asks sounding guilty that he ruined my 'peaceful' sleep.

"No." I say and open the door wider for his entry. He seems hesitant to enter after my previous display of irritation but I grab his arm and pull him inside before closing the door behind me.

"Sorry if I disturbed your sleep," he says while I climb back on my bed. I slip under the covers and then see him standing awkwardly there. I almost want to laugh.

"I told you I wasn't sleeping." I say and shift on my bed to give Gale space. "And aren't you cold walking around like that?" I ask as he walks towards the bed. He slips under the covers with a silly grin on his face. I furrow my brows to indicate that I'm confused with his sudden happiness. He notices this and it makes his grin wider.

"Is that why you were irritated a while ago? You find me distracting?" I try to glare at him but I guess I won't look threatening at all with the way my cheeks are burning. His eyes are sparkling. He's obviously happy to know that he has this effect on me. I choose not to comment. Does he have any idea how he can send my heart racing with just a single smile? I wish… I wish we are just back in Twelve. I'm having these feelings for him in a wrong time and place. This is not really good for the both of us but… with the thought of the Games approaching closer for every passing hour; all I can think about is how I can maximize my remaining time with Gale. I may never know… or maybe I'm just too scared to admit what I'm feeling for him… but I don't think I'll be able to say it to him because I can't even completely admit it to myself. I'm messed up like this.

I close my eyes for a moment to clear my thoughts before I reach out for the nightstand to grab the wrapped cookies Mr. Mellark gave me. Gale sees me holding the cookies.

"You're still hungry?" He asks probably he's thinking I have no reason to eat right now after all that food we had during dinner.

"I'm not really hungry obviously. But it's better if we eat these cookies now." I tell him and place my hands filled with cookies in front of his face. He picks up one and starts to chew on it.

"It's good…" Gale mumbles out before putting the rest of his first cookie in his mouth. He reaches out for my hands to get another one but he stops in midway. He looks at me and the soft light being provided by the lampshade makes his eyes look fiery again. Or maybe it's just me getting on fire whenever he looks at me in that way. "So…" he trails off; looking down at the cookies again before getting one. "I never knew you're friends with Mellark," he says. Maybe it's just my imagination but I think there's a hint of irritation when he said 'Mellark'. I wonder if he's in bad terms with him or what.

I rest my back on a pillow chewing on a cookie contentedly. "To be honest… I don't really talk to him. We are in the same class but I… I don't know we're not really friends… But he did help me once years ago." Gale says nothing. Maybe he wants me to elaborate. I steal a glance at him and see that he has a far-off look on his face. "I was starving in the rain back then… He saw me lingering at the back of their bakery… He gave me bread. He… He intentionally burned them a bit so that he can give them to me. He earned a hard slap from his witch of a mother for burning the bread and he was asked to give the burnt bread to the pigs. But he gave them to me…"

I don't really know if Gale is looking at me right now. But all I can see is that rainy day being replayed before my very eyes. Peeta Mellark. I don't remember talking to him after that act of kindness of his towards me. I tried to thank him several times but I always failed to do so. But I know I'll always be grateful for what he did. He gave me more than warm bread to chase away the hunger at that time… He gave me the strength to continue to live.

Gale and I proceed to eat in silence. I myself can't think of anything to talk about right now. Gale seems to have chosen not to comment about my little encounter with Peeta. It's kind of weird for me because he's the one who asked so that means he's interested. But he just remains quiet after my story telling. Soon enough we have eaten all of the cookies. "They tasted very good." I say to break the silence. Gale just nods to show that he's agreeing with me. I wonder if I said something wrong that upset him for some reason.

We settle down on my bed and suddenly I become aware of the fact that we're in the same bed… with Gale half naked and me just in pair of shorts and white tee. We did sleep on the same bed in the train and we spent many times sleeping together in the woods… but I can't help it but to feel uncomfortable with this arrangement tonight. I hold my breath when Gale moves. "Night, Catnip." He says loud enough for me to hear. I look at him to see that he has turned his back on me. Okay. Nothing will really happen tonight. Gale just needs to share a bed with someone for him to feel comfortable enough to sleep. Yes, that's just it. This is actually better because I think that I'll be able to sleep as well with him next to me. Isn't this what I want? To have more time spent with Gale? But here I am getting all jumpy and stuff.

I shift on the bed and proceed to lie on my side so that my back is against him. I stare at nothing in particular. I try to think of something. The Games. Home. Training. Prim. Food. The clothes Cinna will put me in for the interview. But nothing seems to stay for long enough in my mind. For every small movement Gale makes, I stop breathing. It's like I'm anticipating him to do something. Well I guess I'm really waiting for him to do something… I can't stop the blush forming on my cheeks right now. This is just crazy! Why am I wishing for him to do… something? He came to seek comfort. That's all. Now he's probably asleep. I should be sleeping as well. But when I close my eyes my senses just become more alert and then when Gale moves, my heartbeat quickens. I can't help it but to be aware of how loud the beating of my heart is right now. This is not good…

I suddenly feel Gale turn over… He's facing my back now I can feel it. He moves closer to me. Is he awake? I shut my eyes tightly close. I don't know what I'm getting so nervous about. It's just Gale… just Ga– an arm slips around my torso and pulls me to rest against a bare hard chest. Now I have all the right to be nervous. My heart is beating so fast I'm afraid it will jump out of me soon enough. But… this actually feels good. I soon feel myself relax in his arms. I didn't realize how cold I was feeling until Gale pulled me in his arms. I wonder if he's always this warm.

"Still can't sleep?" He asks against my hair.

"Yeah…" I whisper and curl myself more in his warmth. He raises my head slightly and places his arm under my head so I can use it as a pillow. I turn in his arms so I can see him. "This is a very hard pillow." I tell him with a grin on my face. He just smiles at me.

"Oh yeah? It must be really uncomfortable for you huh but I can't see you replacing your pillow." He says with a playful smirk on his lips. I like the feeling of his hot breath fanning on my face. I just close my eyes and pull myself closer to his body.

"It's very uncomfortable but this will do…" I feel him move closer and then I feel his lips against my forehead. Then he kisses the tip of my nose before he pulls away. I have to admit that for every soft and supposed to be harmless kiss, I feel like something is tickling me from the inside. I open an eye to see his face. He's smiling at me.

"What?" I ask.

"Were you hoping I'll kiss you?" I blush because I did wish he will kiss me… on the lips.

"You just kissed me." I tell him as I try my best to stop myself from blushing. I guess he's enjoying this… teasing me. I close my eyes again hoping sleep will finally find me. I then feel a pair of warm lips against mine. It feels like life being breathed into me. I move to return his kiss but Gale pulls away all too quickly for my liking. I open my eyes to glare at him. He's really playing with me. Fine. Two can play this game. I kiss him… hard. His arms wrap around my body as I push him effectively flat on his back. He groans in our kiss and I can feel a coil tightening in my stomach. I press myself against his hard body; forgetting… not minding that we are probably being watched. Gale moves to pull me away. The thought of us fighting to death in the arena suddenly flashes in my mind and my reaction is immediate; a choke escapes my lips as tears line my eyes.

I look into Gale's eyes and I see the conflicting emotions in them. He just caresses my face with a hand while the other moves to brush some strands of my hair out of my view. "It will be alright, Catnip." Something in his tone breaks me apart. He's in the same pain I'm in… but he tries not to show it. He tries to be strong… To be strong for himself… for me… for our families. The pain in my chest is choking me and he gets up a little to kiss the tears streaming down my face. He pulls me in the safety of his arms and I rest my head on his shoulder as he strokes my hair.

He places a hand under my chin and tilts my head up. Tears are still blurring my vision but I blink them away as fast as I can because I want to get a good look at his handsome face. He looks into my eyes then stares at my lips. He bends his neck down slowly to kiss me but I meet him halfway. I kiss him harder than before… feeling desperate for his kisses again. I soon feel my tears drying up as my thoughts become more focused on him and just him. My hands run along his chest feeling the strong beating of his heart there against my palm. I don't know if I can stand having this heart stop beating… I can't… I won't let it stop…

Gale pulls away but I reach out for him again. He doesn't refuse me. He kisses me again and I feel him move so that he can hover on me. The mattress feels to be too cold against my back because Gale's body is burning against my chest. He soon starts to breathe hard as his hands grab on different parts of my body. I can feel the heat escalating and when his hand slips intentionally under my tee to feel along the length of my back; I arch against him and he presses down on me. I gasp for air when he releases my lips and I moan when he starts to trail wet kisses down the crook of my neck. It makes me shiver for some reason and I gasp his name out as his hand slips a little into my cotton shorts. He suddenly stops moving. I open my eyes and become aware of how sweaty we have become and how heavy our breathing is.

He captures my lips in a deep kiss again. "We better get some sleep now… Training starts tomorrow." He says this against my lips. His breath is intoxicating and sweet and he expects me to obey him. How can I think of sleep and training when he's all over me? I pull him closer and kiss him more. My hands wander on the planes of his chest before I tangle them in his hair and pull on it. I can feel the heat consuming me. But then he pulls away completely and it almost feels like cold water being dump on me, extinguishing the flames within me.

"Go to sleep," he says before kissing my forehead. I can't help it but to notice how tense he is. He's probably restraining himself from touching me… He doesn't want to go too far because I told him I'm not ready yet. I can feel myself coming down from the high I just experienced moments ago. He pulls me back in his embrace and I settle in a comfortable position. He begins to comb through my thick hair with his fingers. I close my eyes and it doesn't take long for the sound of his heart beating to lull me to sleep. If only we can stay like this for long enough…

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><p>That's for Chapter Three. God, I originally planned to start the Games a lot sooner because I want to write down the action already but I can't help it but to add more scenes. Next chapter will have the training and interview and I'm aiming to include the start of the Games in it. Thanks for reading everyone! Please do review thank you ^_^<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

**Star-crossed Lovers**

**Summary:** True love is not Capitol-made. Gale and Katniss are the tributes of District 12 for the Games. These two will shed a new light for the "star-crossed lovers" strategy in the arena because they don't need to pretend to be madly in love with each other. They're already there.

**Disclaimer:** The Hunger Games trilogy and its characters solely belong to Suzanne Collins.

**Warnings: **Well this is the Hunger Games, there will be violence and some sexual themes.

**Pairings: **Gale/Katniss only for the time being ^_^

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><p><strong>Chapter Four:<strong>

_I'm running through a thick forest. The sun is set high at the blue skies. Sweat adorns my skin and the sticky feeling of it on my body makes me feel a lot heavier. I keep on running. I don't know where I am. Is this the arena? I trip over an exposed thick root of a tree. I am able to catch myself before my face grazes the dry and hard dirt. I watch the droplets of my sweat fall and hit the ground. I take this moment to catch my breath. I have no idea why I am running but I just feel that I need to run. I need to reach some place I don't have any idea of. I can feel my legs twitch as my instincts tell me to run._

_I slowly move to get back on my feet when I see a red droplet mixing with the clear color of my sweat falling on the ground. It's followed by another… and another… I somehow can't feel anything. I'm tired from running but I didn't feel any pain when I tripped. My hand shakes as I reach up to touch my chin and when I bring it back in front of my face, it's covered in blood. My blood. I'm wounded. But I can't feel the wound… I can't feel the pain that should exist because of my wound or wounds. A new kind of fear strikes me. It makes me jump back on my feet and I continue running._

_Is this really the arena? Where are the other tributes? How long have I been here? Where is Gale? At the thought of Gale, I started to call out for his name. I know I'm calling him out but I can't seem to hear myself. I can feel my mouth moving. There's no strain on my throat but I know I'm screaming his name. But why can't I hear? Something catches my eyes from the side. It happens so fast. Something… no someone is flung towards my direction with the intention of hitting me or blocking my way. I stop dead in my tracks upon seeing the person lying on the ground before me._

**_It's Gale._**

_He's lying there on the ground with a gaping hole on his abdomen. I can clearly see the blood streaming out of his wound as he presses his palms weakly against it in a poor attempt to stop the bleeding. I can't even make out the color of his shirt because the blood… his blood seems to be just everywhere. I've never seen him in so much pain before. I can't hear his cries and screams of agony. But I can feel them. His face is twisted in so much pain. I need to help him… But my body won't move. My body can't move… I can't move! I have to help him! He's going to die! But I can't move! I can't!... Why can't I?_

_My body is starting to hurt as I struggle in this invisible bonds put upon me. He's dying there in front of me and I can't do anything. My eyes watch as his blood pool around his body. His breaths become shallower… and shallower… and shallower. His gray eyes start to lose the light in them but he seems to be looking for something… for someone… It's me! It's me! He needs my help! He needs me! I'm here right in front of you, Gale! Look at me please! Please! Look here!_

_My heart breaks as I'm able to read his lips forming my name. I can't do anything… I can't do… I can't. All I can see is red… red… red… red… red blood… His blood… pooling around my feet. He starts to convulse and I can almost feel myself convulsing. Why do I stand trapped here while he lies there dying? My mind is struggling very hard to make my body move that my head starts to hurt. I'm breathing like a fish out of water. Why can't I move? Please… My eyes widen and strength completely leaves my body when I see Gale stop moving…_

_He's stopped moving. He's not moving anymore… Not even a small movement. My eyes roam all over his still body. Why isn't he moving anymore? Is he frozen in place just like me? Maybe… Maybe… this… t-this part of the arena shocks t-tributes into p-place… T-That's just it… Gale is not moving because he's trapped like me… Y-Yes… Then why do his eyes look lifeless now? Something grips my heart from the inside. It grips my heart so painfully tight. It's like tugging on my heart with the intention of ripping it out. Tugging. Tugging. Tugging…_

_My ears then register a clear and loud sound. It makes them ring. It makes my body jump. It makes me realize that I can move again. It makes my blood turn to ice cold. It makes my legs move until I'm directly in front of Gale's unmoving body. My exhausted mind recognizes what does that loud booming sound was. I also know what it means…_

_It's the sound of cannon._

_It means a tribute has died._

_It's Gale's cannon._

**_It means he's dead…_**

_I feel like I'm going to explode with all the kinds of emotions fighting to break free out of me. But in the end all I can do is scream… And this time I can hear myself screaming…_

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><p>"Katniss!" I gasp out for air as my eyes snap open. I feel like I'm drowning. I suck in as much air as I can manage. My eyes can't focus on anything. Everything seems to be blurry. "Katniss!" I stay still and then I'm able to see Gale's worried face hovering in front of me. "Katniss?" I see his hand move to touch my face. My hands move to grab his and I hold his hand shakily against my cheek. His hand is so warm… It assures me that he's alive… It was just a bad dream. Nothing more…<p>

"Katniss…" I look into his shining gray eyes which are full of life. "It was just a bad dream," he says as he pulls me into his embrace. I want to tell him how scared I was. I want to tell him a lot of things. I want to tell him anything! But all that escapes my mouth are inaudible sounds. I soon calm down in his arms but I also register the fact that my body feels very tired. My mind is very tired. All I want to do is go back to sleep but I can see the morning sun rays seeping through the curtains.

A few minutes later, I'm able to fully relax. Gale just holds me. I take in his scent and his scent informs me that he has already taken a shower. Yes… Today is the first day of training but here I am lying like a lifeless doll in Gale's arms. I never knew sleeping can exhaust the body like this… It's supposed to give me more energy not drain all of it. But sleep just brought me unpleasant dreams that suck not just the energy out of me but my life as well. "It was just a bad dream." Gale has been repeating that sentence for who knows how many times now. I was scared and I know I scared him a while ago too. His face shows it all.

He lets me have a few more minutes of peace and security in his arms before he moves me to sit on the bed. "You have to get ready soon, Katniss. Haymitch dropped by here a while ago to say that we have to join him for breakfast at nine…" Gale informs me and I bite on my lower lip as I run a hand through my hair. I shake my head a little trying to get rid of the bits of my bad dream. I give Gale a small nod before I slip out of the bed. It's amazing how I'm able to stand when I did. I walk towards the bathroom to shower. I see a glimpse of Gale's worried face before I close the door.

I sink down on my knees weakly as my nightmare replays in my mind. I'm afraid the fear and the pain will soon drive me crazy. The Games has not even started and yet I'm already this disturbed. I can't afford to be like this… I can't be weak… My weakness will not just bring my downfall… It will also bring Gale down with me… I can't accept that to happen. You have to be strong, Katniss. You're more than this.

I manage to crawl under the shower head and I blindly reach out for the knob to turn the shower on. I jump a little when the warm water hits my skin. I soon let out a sigh of relief as the water relaxes my mind and body. An image of Gale calling out my name and bleeding to death slowly appears in my mind. I bite down on my lower lip hard as I shut my eyes tight close trying to chase the image away. I try to focus my mind on refreshing myself and try to ignore the tears silently rolling down my cheeks.

When I join Gale again in my room, I'm wearing fresh clothes; a pair of beige pants and dark brown shirt. I've already arrange my hair in a braid. Gale sees me. He's still wearing that worried look on his face. I give him a bright smile trying to mask the fear I'm still feeling because of the nightmare. "Let's go have breakfast… Haymitch is probably waiting and I'm starving." I tell him in a happy tone of voice but it breaks at some point and Gale doesn't fail to notice. I drop the façade as he takes quick steps to close the distance between us. He almost knocks the air out of me when he brings me into his arms, my body pressed tightly against his.

"Don't be scared… Don't be scared. I'm here." He whispers in my ear and his words ignite something within me. I grasp the fabric of his shirt and nod. He didn't ask what my dream was about. But I guess he knows… I must be screaming his name as I thrashed violently. He continues to embrace me and for every second that passes by, I feel like his strength is seeping into my body giving me what I need. And when he releases me and leans down to kiss me passionately, my fears fly out of the window.

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><p>"You guys are ten minutes late…" Haymitch grumbles out when Gale and I move to take our seats. I watch his gray eyes look at me then he looks at Gale then he looks at me again then at Gale. He soon tears his gaze off of us and calls for an attendant to get him a bottle of liquor. I want to say that it's too early to be drinking but I remember that he told us that he'll be sober enough to mentor us if we don't interfere with his drinking. We proceed to eat breakfast quietly. Haymitch just started talking when he's close on finishing his meal.<p>

"So the plan is you guys will stick together. And I mean all the time, meal times, training, etc." I watch Haymitch gulp down the water from his glass. "The more the people see you two together the better," he adds. I don't really have an idea on what we'll be able to achieve if people see Gale and I as perfect partners but I don't have any objection to the idea of it anyway.

"That's it? Won't you tell us anything about what we should train ourselves with that might be useful in the arena?" There's undeniable annoyance in Gale's tone.

"Train with the axes, knives, spears and the likes. Avoid archery for now. I want you two not to show the other tributes what you are best at." Haymitch replies and dabs his mouth with the table napkin. "Training starts soon. It will be good if you'll be early at the gym." He excuses himself and that leaves Gale and me.

"I think I'll go practice with knives later." I tell Gale in order to start a conversation with him. I watch him drink down his glass of water. He looks at me.

"Alright then. But we'll go practice with the spears right after," he says and I nod in agreement.

The head training instructor tells us that tributes are not allowed to fight each other with the weapons even if it's just supposed to be for practice. Atala, the name of the instructor, says that there will be people available to be our training partners if ever we want one. I try not to look at the tributes. I know I should already be sizing myself up against them but I want to focus myself on training first. It won't hurt if I don't mind the other tributes on the first day. I may just get distracted by the thought of how hopeless I may become against them. I steal a glance at Gale who is obviously assessing the other tributes already. He doesn't try to hide it that I wonder if I'm the only one who is able to see how he's already planning a special snare for each one of the tributes. I can see the wheels in his head turning as he observes one tribute to another.

Atala tells us that we can begin training. As what we have in plan, Gale and I head for the knife throwing station. No one else is at the station besides the instructor assigned to manage it. I pick up my pace wanting to have the station for Gale and I only for a few minutes. My hand reaches out for an averaged size knife lying among the rows of knives on a table placed at the side of the station. I look at the targets at the far end of the booth as I feel the weight of the knife in my hand. I hold the blade in between my fingers and raise my arm. I'm trying to calculate the distance and how much strength should I put on throwing the knife when a sharp sound cuts through the air next to my ear. I blink twice at the knife buried on the target I was aiming for.

I turn around expecting to find Gale but instead of him I find the dark haired female tribute of District Two standing a couple of feet from me. Her green eyes look challenging as she gives me a sly smile. She's toying with two knives in her right hand. The way she handles them screams that she's already an expert on this. What more can I expect? She's from a Career District. It's supposed to be forbidden to train children for the Hunger Games but no one seems to care anyway as long as the Capitol people will see bloody entertainment.

"Was that supposed to be your target? You're kind of slow on assessing your target… You think you can survive in the arena by moving that slow?" Clove says… I know her name because we watched the replay of the reapings during our train ride to the Capitol. I really made sure to remember the names of the Career tributes because I knew they're the ones we should be careful with once we're in the arena. "Anyway what can I expect from a tribute coming from the poorest district? Ha." I don't feel like I need to say something about Clove's insults so I just stand there alert because no one will really know if she doesn't have any plans to make me her next target for her knife throwing 'lessons'.

Clove diverts her eyes from me. I watch as she locks her gaze on a target. My eyes aren't able to catch the position of her hand when she threw the knife. It's just so fast. My eyes follow the knife spinning in the air. I know that it will hit the target perfectly even without seeing it all throughout. But to my surprise I see the knife Clove has just thrown be deflected by another knife. I steal a glance at Clove's reaction. She's glaring daggers at someone and I think I don't really have to follow her gaze to know who just killed her 'fun'.

Gale stands there close to the opposite side of the station. He's holding another knife with a bored expression on his face. He acts like he's so absorbed in training and that he didn't just challenge a Career tribute head on. I watch him throw another knife. He fails to hit the bull's eye by two inches. He makes an irritated face. But I know he did it on purpose so that his first throw would seem like done merely out of pure luck. Clove is still glaring at him. I catch Gale's eyes. He stops midway from throwing another knife. "What are you doing standing there? Start practicing," he says this like I'm one of his younger siblings or something. But I do oblige anyway. I run to his side because I don't think Clove will tolerate more of my presence within her 'domain'.

"You think you're some worthy shot huh, District Twelve?" I hear Clove say. Gale doesn't look up to even recognize her presence. He pretends to be busy placing my arm in a right angle on throwing the knife in my hand. I do know how to throw a knife. I just did it in the train ride with Haymitch us my target but I let Gale 'instruct' me. Clove is probably fuming behind me now. I feel her stomp over us and when I glance at her I see her aiming for the targets with her knife already. She throws four knives. Each hit the heart of the target perfectly. She's clearly showing off trying to intimidate us. I admit that I find her skill very dangerous but I'm not about to show her my fear of her being able to stick a knife on me the moment the gong sounds to signal the start of the Games in the arena.

Gale eyes the knives embedded on the targets. The training instructor seems pleased with Clove's work. I wonder if he can realize the possibility of Clove stabbing Gale or I right now considering how irritated she appears to be. To my surprise Gale looks at Clove for probably the first time, Clove looks back at him. "Perfect aim," he comments sounding very amused. "How do you do that?" He asks casually like they're classmates learning a lesson. Clove smirks as she toys with a knife.

"Just have to throw it with a relaxed arm… too much force won't really make it hit a far target." I guess it surprises me more that Clove bothered to explain. Gale throws a knife and it embeds just right next to one of the knives Clove threw. He turns to Clove again.

"Thanks for the tip," he says. I can't believe it! Gale is practically trying to piss Clove more. He's… pushing his luck too much. The air in this station is getting hard for me to breathe in. I hope these two will just drop this off. I see Clove give us a nasty smile.

"We'll just see who will do better in the arena. I'll make sure you are the first one this knife…" My face twists in disgust when Clove brings a knife against her lips and her tongue slips out to lick the blade. "…will find refuge in…" It's pure threat. Great. Gale just successfully brought us someone who will surely target us first in the arena. Gale just proceeds to ignore her. He starts throwing knives again. The way Clove shots him a glare one last time before moving to the other side sends chills down my spine.

I put my attention back on training. Gale and I hit the spear station next. That big blonde male tribute from District Two named Cato is just leaving the station when we arrived. Spears seem to be quite heavy for my small body to handle. It's not like I can't lift it. It's just I have to exert a huge amount of effort to lift it and make a decent throw. It's also not that easy to thrust it around as well. Gale seems to be doing fine with it. Well… I guess he's fit enough to handle these spears. I let out a sigh when we are leaving the spear station. Gale notices this.

"Upset about something?" He asks. I want to tell him about what he did with Clove back there was not really necessary but I choose to keep my mouth shut.

"Let's just go train with something I'm kind of good at." I see him smile.

"You did fine on knife throwing," he says honestly. Yes… I did fine I guess but I could have done better if only Clove was not distracting me with her nasty looks. We go to the knot tying station next and I'm surprised to find it empty. I look at the other stations and can't help it but to notice some of the tributes from the poor districts. I see the ones who seem to have no idea of how to handle an ax. I see a girl cut herself with a sword. I swallow and try to push the thought of these innocent children being placed in an arena to fight to death for their survival in the deepest part of my mind.

I move into the knot-tying station completely. Gale is crouching with a good length of rope in hand. The instructor is already guiding him how to make a bit of a complex knot. I go and grab a rope for myself and start to follow the instructions. I wonder why this station is empty to think that knot-tying seems to be very useful in the arena. Several victors have already showed that. I can actually remember one a little clearly. I was around seven at that time and that particular victor made several fancy nets. I remember my father commenting on how good were the knots that boy tribute used. I saw that victor catch the other tributes with his net then pierce them with his trident. I lost interest watching his whole Games because of the blood. Well… every Games is bloody enough. I'm just too young to stick around for long watching the Games.

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><p>The rest of the training session goes out smoothly. We do have a break and eat lunch in a cafeteria. Gale and I share a table. The others just scatter around to eat alone while the Careers eat together like their one big happy family. At some point during lunch, I notice Clove pointing at us with her fork. From my angle, she looks like a little girl complaining to her older siblings. Her district partner seems to be the only one who's interested enough to listen to whatever she has to say about us. I bring my attention back to my food.<p>

A few minutes later, I hear someone pull a chair out next to Gale who is sitting across from me. I look up to see Glimmer, female tribute from District One. I remember how stunning she was last night in her shimmering dress. Even without her being dressed up right now, she looks beautiful and I try to ignore the sick feeling settling in my stomach as she eyes Gale in a very… suggestive manner.

"Clove said you're good at throwing knives," Glimmer says sounding so amazed by Gale's so called skill. Seriously… I can tell she's faking it so much. What do these Career tributes want? They don't really have to bother us right now. We can just all settle it in the arena. It's not like I can easily take them down… It's just the thought of Gale having my back gives me more confidence with myself. Gale looks at Glimmer. A mischievous glint is playing in his gray eyes. I don't like it… the way he looks at her…

"That girl can't seem to forget about me huh." I know Gale doesn't really think Clove can't forget about him because she likes him or something. It's quite the opposite in fact. Glimmer moves and places a hand on Gale's arm. It makes me raise an eyebrow. Is she doing what I think she's doing?

"I guess you're good with your hands…" Okay… she's flirting with him. This is just sick. I want to leave this table now. And what is Gale doing? We're not in Twelve having innocent classes in school. It's not normal for people to flirt here. Everyone here is set to rip each other's throats out in the arena. Gale chuckles shortly. It sounds melodic and I want to hear more of it but the fact that he's chuckling because of Glimmer just rubs me the wrong way.

"You seem interested to know how good I am with my hands… But I guess you'll just have to wait and see that in the arena." Glimmer giggles like a little school girl. She flips her curly and silky blond hair at her back before standing up. I don't miss how her eyes turn a deeper shade of green as she gives Gale a hard look. "You're quite something huh, District Twelve," she says.

"It's Gale. My name's not District Twelve. And I'm just being friendly." Yes, Gale. You're not really trying to fool anyone. Glimmer smiles. Her light green eyes light up and she seems to be delighted for some reason. This must be a first… tributes humoring each other… I want to roll my eyes for some reason.

"Gale… I don't really have a reason to remember your name but I'll do remember that handsome face of yours. I can't wait to see you in the arena…" Her eyes narrow at him dangerously. "I can't wait to see that handsome face of yours adorning the night sky. It will surely bring me sweet dreams." She walks back to the Career pack.

Gale is chuckling to himself when he faces me. I give him a cold look and he notices this. "You're enjoying making enemies, aren't you?" I ask him. His smile fades.

"Not really… We're just sizing each other up," he says.

"It's not really good for us to have tributes… especially Career tributes who will be hunting us immediately the moment the Games start." I tell him. He nods to show his understanding of the situation.

"I can't really ignore their advances though. Those Careers have been sizing me up. Maybe it's because I'm quite big and I'm one of the oldest here… There's really no point if I try to act meek… But I guess they're more bothered with the male tribute of District Eleven…" I look around to take a look at Thresh. I'm damned if I can't remember him. He's standing out too much not to remember even if he's not a Career. Thresh is huge. His bulging muscles show that he's one powerful guy. No wonder the Careers will see him as a big threat. Dark-skinned huge Thresh is really someone who looks like he can put up a fight with the Careers. He looks very capable of doing so.

The next hours of training are uneventful which is great. Gale and I rest in our respective rooms for a while before heading at the dining hall to eat dinner with Effie, Haymitch, Cinna and Portia. Gale tells Haymitch that the Careers have their eyes on us. I want to say that they have their eyes on him alone since I appeared to be quite non-existent to the Careers this morning anyway. I can see Haymitch is not really pleased. But he doesn't lecture Gale for pushing things with the Careers. He just tells us to stay away from them as much as possible. He says that maybe this can be in our advantage as well because the Careers are known to hunt for the weaker tributes first. They want to clear the arena of unwanted nuisance on the beginning so that they can focus completely on the 'threats'… but who knows. They can always hunt for the strongest first.

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><p>The next day, Gale and I train harder. I easily pass the edible plants test. Gale knows much about the plants as well but I still have to tell him more about them to aid him in the arena. The two of us set up some snares. Gale's just too good with snares. The instructor at that station is very pleased with his works. I then remember that we shouldn't really be practicing on what we're best at. I guess that just applies for Gale and the snares. I'm not really very good at this so I need to practice well enough in this department as well.<p>

On the third day of training, we spend quite a lot of time on the camouflage station. I can't help it but to notice that the little dark-skinned girl from District Eleven has been following us from the camouflage station to the next. She doesn't make any move on having a conversation with us. And I don't think I would want to talk to her. It's not because I dislike her. I actually like her… She reminds me of my little sister so much. They're in the same age of twelve. Still very young… fragile… and yet she's here to participate in the 74th Hunger Games. Gale doesn't seem to mind having her around. At one point I catch him helping her out with a knot in the knot-tying section. I know Gale and how much he fancies kids. I know he can't help it but to feel for Rue. Rue… She's the exact opposite of her strong looking district partner. The only similarity between them is they have the same shade of skin color.

At lunch time we are called one by one to showcase our skills before the Gamemakers. Gale and I wait anxiously in the cafeteria. I'm the last to perform. I ask Gale what he'll do but he can't seem to decide on one yet. Before he leaves, he pulls me in for a kiss. I'm clearly surprised. No one is in the cafeteria but I'm very sure that this place is very packed with cameras to watch us. I can hardly care though when I start to melt in his kiss. When he pulls away, he grins at me.

"It's for good luck," he says before running off. He leaves me here still dazed from the kiss and still not sure of what I'll do for the Gamemakers. When my turn comes, my eyes light up on seeing the different types of bows and arrows. My feet carry me towards them immediately. I pick a silver bow and try not to show how surprised I am by its weight. These bows are so much different from the bows I use back home. I don't really have any choice here. I have to make do with these. I just hope I'll be fine.

I take aim at the targets. I glance at the Gamemakers first before shooting and when I see how uninterested they are to see my 'skills'. Anger bubbles up inside me. But I calm myself. I take a deep breath and release the arrow. It looks like Gale has taken all my luck during that kiss because my first shot just grazes the dummy lightly. I try not to show my agitation. I quickly get another arrow and place it on my bow. The string is pretty hard on the bow… It actually takes some effort to pull it effectively enough to have a decent shot. My second arrow hits the dummy's leg. I shot another and it hits the middle part of the dummy. I smile at myself knowing I'm getting the hang of this. I shoot a few more arrows and they all hit the dummy perfectly on the heart. I take a quick glance at the Gamemakers' reactions. Nothing. Most of them are busy eating and chatting.

I start shooting at the breakable things in the gymnasium. Breaking glasses here and there. But the sound of shattering objects is not enough to get these stupid Gamemakers' attention. My patience has already worn thin. I face the Gamemakers. Some are looking at me now. But it's already too late. I'll show them I have a good aim and that they should pay attention to me. I'm here with my life at stake they should at least pretend they're interested to see what I can do! I scan the long table containing a number of dishes. I see a roasted pig with an apple in its mouth. It's quite far I know but I guess it will be worth the try. I watch the Gamemakers' faces as I take aim and then release my arrow. Some of them already have a terrified look on their faces the moment I aimed for the table they are all so happily dining on. I smile in satisfaction when my arrow pierces the apple cleanly and it brings the apple with it as it sticks on the wall. I want to laugh when a Gamemaker actually falls over a container of punch because of his shock. Most of them are terrified. There are shocked screams. I actually feel very satisfied of their reactions.

I take a few deep breaths before bowing before them a little, mumbling some kind of thank you under my breath that only drips with sarcasm. I proceed to walk out of the gym without being dismissed. I hold my head high trying to ignore the small fear tugging on my heart because I know I just did something crazy and for sure I'll pay for it. Gale pissing the Careers off is nothing compared to what I've done. I'm now sure the Careers won't be the only ones anticipating our deaths in the arena… These Gamemakers will probably send every horrible piece they can use in the Games to take us down. I clearly understand the consequences of my actions but still I'm too angry to even feel scared about it.

* * *

><p>During dinner, everyone seems to be bubbling up with excitement to see the results. Effie is very excited to know what we did. She says that we most likely did well because she knows we're 'fighters'. She asks Gale first on what he did to impress the Gamemakers. Gale says that he set up several snares then he did a little shooting. He says he actually got annoyed because the Gamemakers weren't really paying enough attention to what he was doing. "When I was doing a little shooting I thought of aiming for an orange in the fruits basket on the Gamemaker's table…" I stiffen as Gale says that. He then laughs. "I manage to stop myself though… I thought it will just cause lots of trouble if I carry on." When asked what the Gamemakers' reactions, he just shrugs. Effie turns to me. Haymitch seems to be contented with just eating his dinner quietly. Now I'm starting to feel bad on what I did. It's not just me who will get into trouble… Gale too. I refuse to answer Effie's questions. I just excuse myself then run up to my room to lock myself in there. We still have to watch the scores later but I don't think I have to see. I'll be lucky if I get a '1' or '2' from it. There's no way I impressed the Gamemakers of what I did.<p>

Gale is able to extract me out of my room. It's not like I can refuse him anyway. We all stay in a sitting room to see the results of our 'performance'. The tributes are given a score that ranges from 1 to 12 with 12 being the highest possible score. This will give the people watching an idea of who will be wreaking some havoc in the arena, who are the good ones, who are the tributes who actually have the skills to be the victor. This is also a way to get sponsors who will make our chances in the arena better. I still haven't told anyone of what I did even Gale. And I know he's starting to get worried. Now, I myself can't believe that I just shot at the Gamemakers. Gale who is already a born rebel didn't do anything that dangerous while I go beyond the concept of 'dangerous'. I was actually bringing danger or even instant death at my doorstep. Argh! I want to rip my hair out of my head right now!

It seems to take too long for the announcements to start. I see Haymitch look at me before pouring himself a glass of wine. "Sweetheart here is making us very curious of what she did in front of the Gamemakers… Just tell us of how bad you did back there…" He says seriously and I can't help it but to swallow. All eyes are on me.

"I shot at the Gamemakers," I say softly. Effie's reaction is immediate. She gasps in shock clearly horrified of what I did. Haymitch just shakes his head but he has a somewhat proud smile on his face. "They weren't watching me at all! I just lost it and that's it I shot at them… I mean at the apple in the roasted pig's mouth." I say. There's a short moment of silence.

"Did they dismiss you?" Effie asks.

"I dismissed myself." I look at Haymitch. "Will I get punished for it? Will they hurt my family?" I ask him. He seems to think about it for a while. My family… Damn it! I should have thought about them before I make that shot! Now they might get in trouble too! Prim…

"Yes and no. You'll get punished. Probably you'll get a low score and a very hellish experience in the arena. But there's no point hurting your family for something you did that will never be revealed in public anyway," Haymitch explains calmly. He then flashes me a grin. "What were their reactions?"

"Most of them were terrified. One even fell over a bowl of punch." Haymitch starts to laugh his head off. Cinna and Portia laugh as well. Effie has a big smile on her face.

"I guess it served them right. They should have been paying attention on what you were doing anyway," she says then she covers her mouth as if she's very surprised of what she just said. "Sorry… But not because you're from District Twelve they'll just ignore you." She adds.

The announcement starts and I see the scores flashing under the pictures of each tribute. Gale mindlessly pulls me against him as we sit together on a couch. No one seems to mind us and for that I'm glad because I'm very nervous. Only Gale's arms being wrapped around me stops my body from shaking. The Careers get scores ranging from 8 to 10 which are not surprising at all. Thresh gets a '10' and I bet that just made him more of a threat for the Careers. Little Rue gets a '7' which I think is amazing considering how small she is. She must have done something great for her to get that kind of score. Gale gets a '9' and Effie actually jumps up and down in happiness upon seeing his score. The Gamemakers were watching him after all. I see my picture and suddenly I stop breathing. A number flashes under it.

_**11**_

My mind goes blank for a moment. I just snap out of it when everyone starts clapping, slapping my back, and laughing in happiness. I let out a yelp when Gale lifts me up effortlessly and twirls me around. He sets me down and even if I can't still believe it that I got an eleven, I smile back at him because he's smiling so widely at me. "There's still room for improvement there," he says. His happiness actually seeps into my being. I squeal as I finally let myself celebrate my achievement. I wrap my arms around Gale's neck and stand on my tiptoes as I reach out to give him a quick kiss. I don't care if Haymitch and the others are seeing us. I guess they've figured it out anyway.

"But how did I get that?" I ask. My eyes are glued on Haymitch who has a big smile on his face.

"Who really knows… But my guess is they like your temper. They are probably glad to have a tribute that has fire in her. Having a tribute like you will most likely result in an exciting Games." Haymitch says. Cinna moves to give me a hug.

"I know firsthand that you will do well, Katniss." He says and I thank him for believing in me. We all soon retire in our respective rooms.

* * *

><p>Tonight, I feel so happy I can't sleep. My body seems to be buzzing with energy. I turn for maybe every five minutes to look at my door and hope that Gale will be knocking on it. He didn't share my bed in the past two nights. It's not like I'm worried about it. We've been too exhausted from training that sleep consumed us immediately once we got in our beds. I let a few more minutes pass by… I see the digital clock on my nightstand read 10:50 p.m. I stare at the ceiling for a good few minutes hoping for sleep or for Gale… But neither of the two comes.<p>

I give it up. I slip out of my bed and leave my room. I just want to see Gale. I come face to face with his door and I hesitate to knock. He must be asleep already. But I don't care. I open the door as quietly as I can. It's alright even if he's asleep… I can just slip in his bed unnoticed. I'm surprised by how dark his room is. Is he out? I squint in the dark and try to see if he's in bed. I see no one on it. Where could he be? In the bathroom? At the roof?

"Hey Catnip." My mouth opens to let out a scream but Gale is fast enough to take hold of me and clamp a hand down on my mouth. He has done it again! I don't mind it much when he does it in the woods because back there I know he'll always come so quietly I sometimes think he just falls out of thin air. But I obviously do not expect him to do that here.

I soon relax in his arms and he chuckles behind me. I face him and am about to hit him for making fun of me but he just goes and sweeps me off of my feet. He kicks the door shut behind him before he carries me towards his bed. My anger evaporates. How can I stay angry at him when he has his lips working like magic against mine? He lays me down on his bed and my arms automatically wrap around him, pulling him closer. We spend the next few minutes kissing and touching a little but just like on the night of the opening ceremonies, he stops himself from going too far. I'm contented with it. Though I won't deny the fact that I guess I won't really mind if he just loses his control and takes me… Maybe I'm really just waiting for him to lose it.

* * *

><p>Chapter Four become pretty long ^^; To be honest, I finished writing this chapter weeks ago. But I got too busy with the second semester at my university starting so I… forgot to update. Sorry, guys. And thanks a lot for reading and reviewing. I hope you all will continue to do so! ^_^<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

**Star-crossed Lovers**

**Summary:** True love is not Capitol-made. Gale and Katniss are the tributes of District 12 for the Games. These two will shed a new light for the "star-crossed lovers" strategy in the arena because they don't need to pretend to be madly in love with each other. They're already there.

**Disclaimer:** The Hunger Games trilogy and its characters solely belong to Suzanne Collins.

**Warnings: **Well this is the Hunger Games, there will be violence and some sexual themes.

**Pairings: **Gale/Katniss only for the time being ^_^

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five:<strong>

Today has been reserved for preparing us, tributes, for our televised interview with Caesar Flickerman tomorrow night. I actually feel very nervous about it. I did showcase my skills before the Gamemakers and I was alone that time... I was able to do it. But this interview just makes me feel so gooey inside. I have no idea how I will present myself. I'm never really good at talking and socializing with other people so I can't help it but to worry about how I will 'charm' the people of Panem. I guess I just have to rely on Effie and Haymitch's guidance. I think they will know what will be the best for me to do. They've been doing these for years; preparing tributes for the interview. There's no way they wouldn't be able to find an 'angle' for me.

I find a little relief with the thought that Gale is even more aloof than me. That guy rarely smiles… but I guess when I'm around he smiles plenty enough. He sometimes looks like he has that scowl permanently painted on his face. I wonder how he will get through with the interview. Others can't really dictate what Gale should do or think. It's one of the reasons I trust him. And I'm very aware of his pure hatred towards the Capitol and its people... But he did manage to 'contain' that hate during the opening ceremonies. Honestly right now I find myself looking forward for the interview because I just want to see him. I want to see him charm his way in the people's hearts. I wonder if he'll enchant them again just like in the night of the opening ceremonies.

I step in the dining hall to see Gale and Haymitch talking at the balcony. They look like they're pretty serious about whatever they're talking about. I start walking towards them. Gale sees me coming and I note how his brows furrow. He says something to Haymitch and our mentor turns to see me. He looks at me with a calculating look. He's like planning something for me. Seeing Gale and Haymitch having a quite private chat makes me feel left out. I also asked Gale where he's gone to last night when I went in his room only to find him not there. He said he was at the roof with Haymitch… What were they discussing anyway? What are they discussing moments ago?

"Good morning, sweetheart," I ignore Haymitch's greeting. His little term of endearment for me makes me feel a tinge of annoyance every time he uses it. I look at Gale but he averts his eyes away from me. What was that? I'm about to approach Gale but Effie runs up behind me and drags me to our table so we can start with our breakfast. Gale and Haymitch join us. I try to make small chat with Gale during breakfast but considering how Effie can't stop talking; all my attempts to talk to him fail.

"So… this day is reserved for preparing you guys for the interview…" I see how Haymitch glance at Gale. It's just for a very brief moment but it just makes me feel suspicious that something is going wrong… "I won't mentor you at the same time." Did I just hear Haymitch right?... He'll mentor us separately? But wha– Why? I stare long and hard at Haymitch hoping he will see that I need an explanation for this. It was his idea for Gale and me to stay together as much as possible but now he goes and says that he'll mentor us separately? Is this what he's been discussing with Gale? Did Gale ask for this kind of arrangement? What? What for? Are they hiding something from me?... Is Gale hiding something from me?

Each question that forms in my head makes my body feel cold. I take a look at Gale. He's just staring down at his plate. I open my mouth. I need to talk to him!

"In this way it will be more convenient for me… You guys are two different persons. This interview is about establishing the image you will present to the audience. If I mentor you at the same time, it will just complicate things for me," Haymitch says before I can even get a word out of my mouth to talk to Gale.

"You didn't mind mentoring us together days ago," I'm really uncomfortable with this arrangement. I… I don't like the thought of Gale and Haymitch having some more alone time to talk about things that I have a very strong feeling are connected to me. Haymitch gives me a look.

"I thought you agreed to follow everything I say, sweetheart… And I explained why I have to change the previous arrangement we have," he says. I turn to Gale.

"Did you ask for this?" I ask him straightly. I'm hurt… I feel betrayed. But I won't show him that. Gale looks at me.

"No. It's obviously Haymitch's idea… Why would you think I ask for this?" I notice the hint of annoyance in his voice. He sounds like he hates the fact that I'm accusing him. I trust Gale… But the way he can't quite hold my gaze for long makes me think that he's lying. Gale is lying to me… The thought leaves a sour taste in my mouth. He never lied to me… What changed between us since last night? Is it because of the Games being two days from now? I feel like I have a heavy rock sinking into my stomach right now. Breakfast is over and I barely register Haymitch's voice saying that he'll spend four hours on each of us. He says he'll mentor Gale first while I'll spend the next four hours with Effie.

I refuse to look at Gale's retreating form when he follows Haymitch out of the dining area even after he places a soft kiss on my temple. Effie leads me back to my room and I try to focus on training; trying to forget about Gale for the mean time. She makes me wear a long gown and high heels. I feel uncomfortable in them and wearing these makes my mood sourer. Effie starts teaching me how to walk on these high heels. I can't help it but to notice that she's wearing higher heels than what I'm wearing now but she walks perfectly in them while I wobble here like a toddler.

The high-heeled shoes become a challenge for me and I find myself getting lost in my desire of wanting to walk normally in them. Soon enough I manage to walk in them in almost like the way Effie does but whenever I feel like I finally perfected walking, I just manage to get my shoes tangled over the hem of my dress which is really annoying. I hold the dress up but Effie slaps my hands telling me not to hike the dress up so much. "Not above the ankles!" She reminds me. I grit my teeth through this but I can already feel my patience wearing thin.

"It will be really great if you stop glaring. I told you the key to this is smiling. You need to smile, smile, smile, and smile more. In that way the people will think that you are friendly and that you like them," Effie says.

"But I don't like them and I don't feel like being friendly to them," I say gruffly. Effie sighs at this. I already 'perfected' my posture. I manage to stop looking down every single minute.

"Katniss, you have to remember that you are trying to make the people to like you. If you grace them with that permanent glare of yours, no one will like you. Save those glares for the tributes in the arena. Why don't you just pretend that the audiences are your friends?"

My hands fist on the fabric of my gown due to my irritation. "You want me to act friendly to people who are betting on how long I'll stay alive in the arena?" I don't think I will be able to pull off something like that! I refuse to play such act for those people...

"That's why I'm telling you to pretend!" I can see how I'm ticking Effie off so much but then she smiles at me widely. "Like this. I'm smiling at you even if you're aggravating me," she says.

I don't say anything because it's not really convincing for me. My mind wanders off to how Gale's doing and what he's discussing with Haymitch. I can feel my irritation increase at the thought of them keeping secrets from me. I tell Effie I'm going to eat. I see Gale and Haymitch at the dining hall talking happily about something. I shoot them a glare before getting myself something to eat. I see Gale throwing worried glances at me but I'm angry at him. He better do some explaining later if he wants to get to my good side.

* * *

><p>Haymitch takes me into the sitting room. I sit there on the couch. Questions are bubbling inside me. I want to know the truth! I want to ask him if it's really Gale's idea for us to be mentored separately. I want to know the things Gale has been saying to him. I see Haymitch deep in thought. He lets out a tired sigh a minute later before he looks at me.<p>

"What are we going to do with you?... I can't seem to think of an angle for you," he says. His brows are knitted together making the lines on his forehead more prominent. "The people of Panem see you like a shining star right now. Katniss Everdeen, the girl who volunteered to save her little sister. Cinna made you memorable by making you the girl on fire. You impressed the Gamemakers by your skills and temper making you able to get the top training score. All of these make the people intrigued about you but they don't have any idea of who you really are yet. The impression you'll leave them tomorrow will determine how much sponsors will be willing to support you in the arena," Haymitch leans back on the cushioned chair he's sitting on.

"Shall we present you as a girl who's fierce? Charming? Aloof? Sexy?" I bite my lip and fumble with my fingers anxiously.

"What is Gale's approach?" I ask. Haymitch just looks at me for a whole minute or so. "I'm not allowed to ask?" I can feel my anger rising. They're hiding something from me!

"He's charming alright. He has the fire in him while you have fire as well. Maybe not just as fierce as what he has," Haymitch says.

"He's somewhat a rebel since birth," I clasp a hand over my mouth when I realize I just said that aloud. Haymitch just laughs.

"He has a hard heart but he seems to be soft on you." My eyes light up. I can't help it but to feel a tingling sensation upon being reminded that I… I'm special to Gale. "Okay we're not here to talk about your love interest…" I make a face upon Haymitch blurting that out. "Let's get started by trying different approaches," he says.

"Can you just get that cheery and wavy girl out on the chariot during the opening ceremonies?" He suddenly asks. I blink twice at him. I imagine how I was smiling so sweetly that night, waving, blowing kisses to everyone… I then imagine myself to pull that side of me now. But I can't. I can't imagine myself smiling sweetly at Haymitch or even blowing kisses at Haymitch! I shudder at the thought of it. My mentor stares at me expectantly.

"I can't…" I mumble out softly. He takes a deep breath.

"But you can't be hostile and that's what you are right now. Who would be fond of someone so hostile and sullen huh, sweetheart? You need to bring sponsors at your feet by the use of your charm," he explains to me. This just makes me angry. Effie has been telling me the same thing all morning. Act friendly. Act like I love the people. Why should I hop around like a trained animal for these Capitol people when what they want most of all is to see me bleeding to death in the arena?

"Pretend I'm the audience. You have to delight me," Haymitch starts asking questions. For every question, I can feel myself getting angrier. This is just so not right!

"They want to know about you, Katniss!" Haymitch snaps at me. I look at him angrily.

"I don't want them to know about me!"

"You have to tell them! They want to feel closer to you and they won't feel like that if you don't tell them things about yourself," Haymitch is growling at me.

"I don't want them to know! They don't have to know my past. They'll just taint it! I don't want that… They're already taking my future!" Haymitch just lets me pour my anger and frustration out. He tells me I have the charm as much as what a dead slug has. Then he says that I can try to act humble by saying how much the Capitol amaze me. How much I like the food and the costume Cinna made me wear. Haymitch tries to be patient as we try out different approaches. Alluring. Funny. Mysterious… none work for me. I can't remember when Haymitch started drinking but like I really care about it. I just want to get out of this room and lock myself up. A lot of things are bugging me. I can't find myself focusing on anything. I feel so messed up!

* * *

><p>By the end of the session, I'm still no one. Even Haymitch seems to have given up on me. He tells me to just answer the questions Caesar Flickerman will ask me without showing how much I despise the Capitol and its people. I lock myself in my room and proceed to order all the kinds of delicacies then eat until I feel very sick. I feel really horrible after I threw up in the bathroom. The sick feeling just makes me feel angrier that I start smashing the dishes on the wall and floor. I don't know when Gale started knocking… or banging on my door. I hear him talking to someone from the outside and I guess he's talking to an Avox, asking himher to get the door unlocked. I throw a plate at the door when I see the knob turning.

Gale steps into the room. The moment I lay my eyes on him, my anger intensifies. He's keeping something from me! Him and Haymitch! I know he lied to me this morning! He lied! He betrayed my trust! He's brewing something up… I just know it. He's keeping me from the dark… He's the only one I trust here but he's keeping secrets from me now! I feel betrayed... I feel so vulnerable now that I feel that he's hiding something from me.

I didn't notice I'm clutching a piece of a broken plate in my hand until Gale rushes to my side and forces me to release it. I push him away and try to ignore the pain coming from the cut on my palm. "What are you doing, Katniss?" There's an angry tone in his voice. He's probably thinking everything I'm doing is unreasonable. I see the red-haired female Avox from nights before. She starts picking the broken dishes up.

"I don't want to see you…" I say softly refusing to look at Gale's face. "You're hiding something from me… What did you tell Haymitch?" I ask coldly. Gale does not answer me. He just has a firm grip on my shoulders. "Why won't you tell me anything?... You won't tell me because I don't have to know? I thought I can trust you, Gale… What changed? What are you hiding?" I ask… I can feel that familiar tightening on my chest. I'm about to cry.

"I'm hiding nothing, Catnip." I push him away as hard as I can and glare at him. He looks guilty. He knows he can't lie to me…

"Don't call me that…" I hiss at him. A look of hurt flashes on his face but he quickly masks it under a calm demeanor.

"I don't know why you're acting like this… getting all angry, breaking things, hurting yourself…" he says in a calm voice.

"Well sorry if I'm the only one who feels sick of everything here. Maybe you're discussing your strategy in the arena with Haymitch… He seems to favor you. I bet he wants you to win," I swallow as I try to hide the shock that rushed into me when I said that. I know it sounded wrong… It's like I'm accusing him of leaving me on my own to die alone in the arena… But isn't this better? If Gale and I don't have any reasons to help each other then it's better. Gale is supposed to be my trusted partner… But that won't work in the arena. We'll still be enemies there. I can't hurt him… I won't be able to bear it to see him hurt… My nightmare days ago flash in my mind. But... I also can't have Gale dying!

What should I do? If we fight together we have better chances to win in the arena… But he… What will we do if it just comes down to the two of us? I won't be able to kill him… He'll most likely kill himself for me… A thought hits me… The realization makes me take a few steps back. I stare in Gale's eyes. That same determination I saw during the train ride... He's wearing that determined look again… No… He's been talking to Haymitch how he'll be able to keep me alive in the arena. I don't have to get the words out of him. His eyes tell me everything.

"Get out!" I scream at him. He hesitates for a second but soon leaves. I can feel how heavy each step he takes… I almost run to him and pull him in my arms. But no… I should not. This is so hard. Why is it Gale? Why should he be the boy tribute? Someone I can't hurt… Someone I can't kill… Someone I don't want to lose no matter what. How am I going to get out of this situation?... How can I return to Prim with Gale?... How?

The Avox leaves and I sink into my knees and cry my eyes out for the rest of the night. I scream. I kick my legs out. I thrash around. I don't know what I should do… I'll protect Gale in the arena… I know he'll protect me too… But what will it bring us? There's no way there will be two victors…Maybe it is better if we will both get killed by those Careers. But then how can I just think like that? How about my promise to Prim? My promise to her that I'll return home to her and my mother… I made such a promise without even thinking that returning home means Gale dies in the arena… Did Prim think I'll be able to kill Gale or just let him die when I told her that? I don't know… I don't know anymore…

Sometime during my sleepless night, I wander if only I tried to hate Gale starting from the train ride… will it make me think of winning easier? Will it make his death bearable for me? But I didn't try to hate him… I did the opposite. I trusted him more… I lo–loved him… It just made everything harder… more complicated. Am I really wishing that I had the capability of hating him within that short period of time before the Games? Will it make everything for me easier? Here I am thinking if I can handle Gale dying while he has made his mind up… to protect me… to die for me… How can he just make his mind like that? How can I be more important than his family to him? How can my life be more important than his own? I don't understand…

My head starts to pound and I bury my face on my pillow. I scream on it. I take a few moments to clear my head, forcing myself not to think of things for a little while. My mind suddenly feels numb. I push myself up and slip out of my bed. I better see Gale... I want to... I need to see him. Maybe if I can just bring myself not to care anymore of what will happen to us in the arena it will be better for me... for him... for us. I rush out of my room and barge into his. Like last night, he's not there. The image of the rooftop flashes in my mind so I hurry over there.

Indeed he's right there. The wind assaults the bare skin of my exposed arms and legs. I resist the urge to hug myself as I slowly make my way towards Gale. He has his back on me and he's leaning on the railing. A sudden hesitation washes over me. Will it be alright if I approach him like this after how I treated him a while ago? But surely I can't turn back now right? I will have to face him again tomorrow anyway and I don't think I will be able to get some rest if I don't get to see him first. I'm just a few feet behind him now and the wind blows again. This time I cannot help it but to wrap my arms around myself.

"Gale..." I see his shoulders stiffen and he quickly turns around to see me. I can already feel the guilt eating me up from the inside the moment I see the pain in his beautiful gray eyes. I look away and chew on my lower lip. "I... I'm sorry... I... I s-shouldn't have..." My chest starts to tighten. I look up to him again to see his reaction. "Gale..." He then moves so fast in the next second. He pulls me into his arms and crushes me against his hard body as his lips claim mine in a searing kiss.

His warmth quickly engulfs my whole being and manages to dissolve all of the horrible thoughts bugging my mind. His mouth moves frantically over mine that I can barely follow him. It's like he's drowning and he can't get enough air. I can feel my body heat up because of the desperation in his actions. Oh Gale... I need you too. He holds me against his body tighter and I press myself more onto him. If only we can stay like this... just holding each other... kissing... basking in each other's warmth... If we can just run away from the horrors we will soon face...

I stumble backwards and hit something. The sound of an object crashing tears Gale and I apart. We both look down to see a flower pot lying broken in pieces, the soil and the plant it was holding now lies scattered on the floor. The thought of cleaning it up enters my mind but Gale is on me again. He grabs onto my hips and presses himself against me. "Leave it," he mumbles hotly on my lips and I automatically wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer and closer, trying to eliminate any remaining space that separates us.

I soon feel him lift me up while I'm drowning in his kisses. He carries me then lowers me. I reflexively reach out a hand to touch the surface of where he will place me on. I let out a small gasp when my hand makes contact with cool and almost wet soil. I pull him down on me and he wastes no time; his mouth leaves mine and proceeds to trail butterfly kisses along the skin of my throat. My mind starts to become foggy. It's like I can't see anything clearly even if I open my eyes to see my surroundings. All I can do is feel... feel Gale... feel everything he does to me. His hands and lips seem to be everywhere and I'm making these noises that makes my cheeks burn.

He proceeds to take me higher and higher but then he stops... I let out a whimper of protest as I open my eyes to look at him questioningly. The world suddenly comes into focus now that he's not distracting me with his ministrations. I look at him. His dark hair is matted on his forehead and his shirt is sticking on his body because of his sweat. His breathing starts to even out with each second that passes us by. "Gale...?" He looks into my eyes and I can see the burning desire in them. His eyes are a lot darker now... like coal burning in strong fire.

He leans forward and presses his lips firmly on my forehead before he moves to get up. My hand quickly moves to hold onto his wrist. He looks at me with surprise in his eyes. "W-Where are you going?" He just continues to look at me maybe he's just thinking hard on how he will answer me. I swallow and tug on his wrist pulling him to hover on top of me again. "Don't go..." I feel the muscles on his arm tense up and I can't help it but to feel happy with the thought that I have this effect on him.

He places his hands on each side of my head and rests his weight on his palms as he looks down at me. I lock my arms around his neck and pull him closer. We look into each other's eyes and the feeling of his hard body against mine is almost too much for me to handle. "Kiss me again... Don't stop yet..." I see something flicker in his eyes and then he kisses me. I moan in the kiss like a satisfied cat. I want to stay with him like this for a while longer. I don't want to return to reality yet. Here in his arms, I am safe and loved.

I can't remember when I started clawing on his shirt and holding onto him like a drowning person. I can vaguely register my own voice begging him not to stop in between kisses. He suddenly pulls away and I can't stop the panic that surges in my veins. I open my eyes and look at him. "Gale... D-Don't st-..." He presses a finger onto my lips to silence me.

"I won't," he says and my breath catches on my throat as I watch him take his shirt off.

* * *

><p>That's for Chapter Five. And oh right there's a cliffhanger. I don't usually place cliffhangers in fics but I just feel the need to right now. Also sorry for the lack of updates. I know it's the holiday season and I'm supposed to have a lot of free time. Well I do have a lot of free time but lately I'm into the Mortal Instruments and Maximum Ride series so I tend to forget to update. But I'm pretty sure that I won't be abandoning any of my stories ^^<p>

Thanks for reading and please do review!


	6. Chapter 6

**Star-crossed Lovers**

**Summary:** True love is not Capitol-made. Gale and Katniss are the tributes of District 12 for the Games. These two will shed a new light for the "star-crossed lovers" strategy in the arena because they don't need to pretend to be madly in love with each other. They're already there.

**Disclaimer:** The Hunger Games trilogy and its characters solely belong to Suzanne Collins.

**Warnings: **Well this is the Hunger Games, there will be violence and some sexual themes.

**Pairings: **Gale x Katniss only for the time being ^_^

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six:<strong>

If I never got reaped for the Games maybe I will never think of seeing Gale under this kind of light. I cannot tell if that is a good or a bad thing but as I watch the bright Capitol lights make shadows play over his olive colored skin I can't help it but to feel my breath catching in my throat. Was I really that blind before that I only saw Gale as a very capable hunting partner? Only as a best friend? I know about how the people in the Seam talk about Gale and me and our future. Back then I thought it was funny because I thought that Gale will never see me as someone more than a close friend. And besides a lot of girls are throwing themselves at him. I didn't want to add myself to that list.

Gale hovers on top of me and the heat radiating from him seems to be capable of melting the rest of my clothes away. I take a deep breath when he wraps his strong arms around my small waist and pulls me to straddle his lap. I feel how the hard muscles on his body coil under his skin. It makes my heart flutter with each passing second I spend here in his arms. His lips find mine again and I melt into him. My arms wrap around his neck as I pull myself closer to him. My fingers thread into his dark hair and I relish into the feeling of how silky his hair feels against my fingertips. All I can feel right now is Gale. I never knew that it is really possible to exist in a world that only Gale and I matters. I can hardly care what will happen next at this moment. My senses seem to block out the rest of our terrifying world and only register Gale and his breathtaking touch and kiss.

I let my palms glide over the hard planes of his body and I hear Gale make a small soft sound in his throat that makes the ball of rope in my stomach coil tighter. I gasp when his hand slip into the tee I am wearing for the night. His hands are leaving hot trails in their wake and my cheeks burn because of the unintelligible noises escaping my mouth. I vaguely register his hand skimming over the clasp of my bra and then the next thing I know, I feel this piece of undergarment loosen. My breath hitches and I pull away from Gale a little as his hands roam the expanse of my naked back.

"Katniss…" I can't remember a moment in my life when I heard Gale sound so needy and out of breath. His hot mouth latches onto the exposed column of my neck and my eyes flutter shut in response. The sensations he is giving me are overwhelming. It is really hard to describe. I'm feeling some kind of hunger I never experienced before and I know that Gale is my only salvation. I wrap my legs around his waist and he anchors me against him tighter.

His hands hikes up the tee I'm wearing. His skilled fingers makes me squirm under his light touch. But he suddenly stops midway. He pulls away and suddenly the world seems like it is crushing down on me. I don't bother to open my eyes. I reach out for him and crash my lips on his in a fiery kiss. He groans against my mouth but his hands hold onto my arms firmly then I feel myself being pried away from him. My eyes snap open and I look at him with confused and dazed eyes. "Not here, Katniss…" I find myself drowning into the depths of his silvery gray eyes. He averts his gaze from me for a moment before cupping my face in his large and warm hands; his eyes boring into mine again. He presses his forehead against mine and I lean in to kiss him but he holds me still. "Not now…" He whispers so softly I might as well think that he didn't say anything at all. He closes his eyes and I can see how the muscles in his jaw tighten as he swallows.

I want to tell him that it's alright. That I want this as well. That I am ready and that I was stupid for letting go of the chance we had when we were in the train on our way here to the Capitol. But I can see how much he is trying to contain himself. He wants to be with me. There is no question to that. But I think he deems that this is an inappropriate place and time. The horrors of the Game seem to catch up on me in an instant. I bite down on my lower lip. I want to tell Gale that there will be no more chances after this. The Games is approaching. Our time is running out…

He shifts under me and before I can completely register it, he has already stood up. He reaches for his shirt and then puts it back on. He extends a hand towards me and I half-mindedly take it. He gives me a heartwarming smile before he pulls me into a chaste but sweet kiss.

"I love you…"

I'm supposed to feel ecstatic because of how much I can sense the truthfulness in his words but instead a crushing feeling settles in my heart. And it takes a lot of my willpower to stop the tears from coming because his "I love you" feels so painfully like "goodbye".

* * *

><p>"What's with the long face? Are you nervous?" My stylist, Cinna, says. He walks into the room with a gentle smile on his face. I feel my lips return that smile of his.<p>

"I am… I… I wasn't able to build up any character that I can show the audience for the interview," I say. It's amazing for me that I can confide my feelings to Cinna so easily and to think that I haven't really known him for a long time.

"I say that you will have more confidence in yourself once I get you in the dress you'll be wearing tonight," I see how Cinna's eyes sparkle in delight. My chest warms up and somehow I know that his creation will help me make a good impression for the audience.

Talking to Cinna helps me take my mind off of the upcoming interview for a good minute or two but then that nervous buzz will be back to haunt me mercilessly and make my knees shake. My head conjures up a number of different humiliating scenarios that might happen to me in front of all the cameras later. I can't help it but to cringe at the thought of each one of them. At some point right after Flavius, Octavia, and Venia readied me for my dress, I vaguely register Cinna's voice asking me to close my eyes. I simply follow him then I feel the smooth texture of the inside of my dress slide onto my glittering powdered skin.

A new kind of buzz fills me… This time I know it is excitement. My eyes move anxiously under my closed eyelids as I itch to open them to finally gaze at my dress. I feel my prep team adjusting and fumbling things around me and then a hand is placed on my bare right shoulder. "You can open your eyes now, girl on fire." I waste not a second more and I open my eyes to look at the person being reflected by the full length mirror before me.

Seconds… Minutes might have gone by but all I can do is open and close my mouth unsurely. Words are stuck helplessly in my throat and my gray eyes were twinkling at the sight before me. The dress… It… It is simply breathtaking. Precious gems in the color of red, yellow, white, and blue adorned it. They are patterned in a way that will make them look like fire engulfing me so beautifully. I manage to take my eyes off of myself and catch Cinna's gaze on the mirror. A smile blooms over my lips as gratefulness swells in my chest. "Thank you so much, Cinna." I say with all honesty. He just gives me a genuine smile.

"You are perfect to go my dear," he says and effectively brings my uneasiness back into my system. He quickly notices the change in my mood. "Katniss, what is the problem? You can tell me. I can be of some help I'm sure…" I look at Cinna for a whole long minute.

"Haymitch told me to answer Caesar's questions humbly… I… I'm sure they will ask private questions that I will never want them to know… And I will never want to tell them." I gaze down at my fire-patterned painted toenails.

"Will you tell them to a friend?" Cinna asks and my head snaps at him. "Why don't you imagine that you are simply telling these information to a friend you have back home?" He suggests and I stop myself from chewing on my lower lip in order to avoid ruining my make-up. A friend… My friend… But that person was Gale… is still Gale. And he's here with me. I don't think it's really a good idea to imagine myself telling them to Gale. He already knows them. He even probably knows things about me that I do not.

"But that person is Gale…" I confess to Cinna without any further thought. I have no idea what he will think after I supplied him with that fact. But after a second or two, he grins at me.

"Can't you consider me as your friend? I'll be at the audience later. You can look at me while you answer the questions."

Cinna's smile is so reassuring and it is infectious enough so I smile back.

* * *

><p>The moment I place my gaze on Gale's handsome face, memories of our encounter last night fills my mind. My whole body tingles at the thought of his burning kisses. I involuntarily shiver at the thought of his hands running along the length of my bare sweat-covered skin...<p>

"_Not here, Katniss… Not now…"_

But is it even possible to have a next chance, Gale?

My chest tightens as I think of the possibilities again and I quickly try to dismiss the horrible thought of it. I cannot spill any tears right now. But still my mind wanders to that thought that there will be no next time…

The interviews start soon enough. Each interview only last for three minutes. I watch each tribute pass by like they are some kind of fantasy dream that I wish that will never end. But soon enough, Thresh, the huge boy tribute of District 11, is on the stage. A huge wave of nervousness floods in my veins. I can barely focus on Thresh's interview. But I guess I have a right not to focus at all when I'm fully aware of the fact that I'm next. And I might trip or slip or fall off the stage or stutter like an idiot or…

I see Thresh walking off of the stage now. I wonder why my ears didn't even register the buzzer going off. I see Gale looking at me with his eyes full of concern. At that moment, I realize that I should be walking already towards the stage. So that is what I do. My legs feel like jelly. They even feel like they're just a fog of smoke in the form of legs. I can't feel them but I still manage to take my seat before blue-haired Caesar Flickerman and the audience. I swallow before giving him a shaky smile. He grins at me. His teeth very straight and white that I stare at them for maybe a little bit longer than I probably should. He extends his hand to me and I mentally cringe at the knowledge of how sweaty my hand is at the moment. I shake his hand and stare at his retreating one waiting for that moment when he will wipe it off of his suit… But it never came.

Caesar's first question is about how I find the Capitol and what impressed me the most since my arrival here. At first my ears refuse to register any sound besides my loud beating heart. And I desperately seek Cinna out of the audience with my eyes. I see him and he mouths the question at me. I answer honestly with the thought that it is Cinna I am talking to and not Caesar nor any of the Capitol people. Then he asked me of what I think of my costume in the opening ceremonies. I smile thinking about how I admire Cinna so much because of that costume. I give praises and thankful words to Cinna and I watch him thank everyone humbly on the big screen when the camera focused on him.

"Cinna is truly amazing. I can't fully express myself about how I feel about my costume and I guess I won't be able to fully express myself regarding this dress as well. See? Just look at it!" I showcase my fiery looking dress to Caesar and the audience by holding the skirt and spreading them. The bright lights hit the gems on my dress and I know I am sparkling like I am a precious gem as well. The audience shamelessly expresses their admiration for my outfit and I catch Cinna making a small circular motion with his index finger. I quickly catch on. I stand up and twirl for him. The audience gasps and claps. I even hear Caesar laugh next to me as he claps.

When I finally need to stop, Caesar urges me to twirl more for them and I giggle. "I can't anymore!" He takes my hand and pats it affectionately.

"We shall not let you follow in to the steps of your mentor now, shall we?" Caesar says and I laugh as Haymitch is found by the camera. Of course he is now better known for his stage dive during the Reaping than him being the Victor of the 50th Hunger Games. Once the laughter dies down, Caesar focuses his attention back to me.

"We are really enchanted by your spirit, Katniss. During the Reaping when you volunteered for your sister, it was really admirable. Can you tell us about her?" I take a deep breath as I can feel anger creeping into my mind. I don't want to tell them about Prim. I see Cinna giving me a small nod and I close my eyes for a second to compose myself. I can tell him… I can tell Cinna.

"Her name is Prim. Primrose. I love her very much. I love her more than my own life," the silence that enveloped the whole place feels so unfamiliar to me. It is almost amazing that these people in the Capitol can quiet down like this…

"What did she say to you before you left?" My gray eyes scan over the audience and I desperately look at Cinna.

"She… She asked me to…" I trail off as my mind wander back to that moment in the Justice Building after the Reaping.

"_T-Try to win okay? Promise me you will win and c-come back. You… Y-You and Gale must come back home!"_

All I could feel that moment was the overwhelming grief of needing to leave and head towards most likely my own death. But I also felt the pure desperation to go back… to return to my precious younger sister… That I failed to realize that if I return home… Gale dies…

"She asked me to win…" The words just spill out of my mouth without my full consciousness of the situation.

"And then? What did you say to her?"

My breathing starts to become heavy and even looking at Cinna does not help me in any way. My eyes look frantically among the crowd. Haymitch looks displeased that I'm already losing it. I feel tongue-tied. I don't want to think about what I promised to Prim. I don't want to tell them about that thoughtless promise. Not after all that happened… Not after I realized how everything that was happening is real and that Gale is really entering the arena with me… I can't. I can't win… I can't win if it means that he dies and I lose him forever…

I look down and lock the fabric of my dress in a death grip.

"I… I told her I'll try…"

My voice sounds so dead and lifeless. And at that moment, I know Haymitch was right. I am as charming as a dead slug.

"Of course you would," Caesar says and even he seems to be unsatisfied with the delivery of my answer. My buzzer goes off and I hurry back to my seat. Blood is pounding in my ears that I can't even focus on what Gale is saying during the most of his interview. Caesar and the audience seem pleased with him though. I try to compose myself and look at the strong figure of Gale on the stage.

He is smiling so charmingly that I think it seems enough… He can just smile there for the whole duration of three minutes and I guess no one will mind. He is that pleasing.

"Such a handsome young man you are! Is there, by any chance, a lucky girl waiting for you back home?" Caesar asks as he leans closely to Gale as if he will tell him such a big secret. Gale rubs his hands on his pants as he chuckles.

"Sadly… She's not waiting back home," the audience gasps. I can tell they are jumping to horrible conclusions like whomever this girl Gale is talking about dumped him before he left for the Games. Just then, a sudden coldness envelops my hands. Who is this girl Gale is talking about? An unfamiliar feeling swells in my chest as my brows furrow together.

"That is really sad to hear. How can she leave a young man like you right?" Caesar asks the audience and I hear a few females shout that they can replace that girl and make him happier.

"You know what my man? I guess all you have to do is win. You win, you go back home… And maybe if she's still the one you want she will come back to you," Caesar says and a few guys wolf-whistled among the audience. The playful look on Gale's face vanishes and he unmasks the real Gale before Panem. His face looks dead serious and he holds that kind of cold beauty that somehow makes him more mesmerizing than before.

"Winning… will not help my case. Honestly…" Gale clasps his hands together and his slivery gray eyes look like precious stones under the blinding bright lights. "Honestly I don't even have any plans to win." My eyes grow so wide and my heart makes such a hard pound that I feel like it is about to jump out of my chest. What is Gale saying?

Hushed whispers fill the place and even Caesar looks taken aback by Gale's words. "Why say such a thing? You look very capable for me. And no offense to our other wonderful tributes but I must say that you have the look of a Victor." The audience applauds. They seem to agree with Caesar's words so much.

"You see…" I hold my breath as Gale's gaze fall upon me for a very brief moment. "My girl is not waiting for me to return home… She came here with me."

My girl

My girl

_My girl_

She came here

_Gale is talking about me…_

I see the lost look on my face being focused on the big screen. I want to cover my face with my hands but I resist the strong pull. The color of my cheeks put my dress in shame and I actually feel like I'm burning.

"I will do my best in the arena for her," Gale says with a very sweet… but sad smile and I can feel everyone's heart ache at the sight of it. So beautiful and so real. I hear the audience sigh in awe. They seem to be thrilled with the idea of true and tragic love. The buzzer goes off but no one seems to be moving on from Gale's declaration of love for me. I watch him walk towards me. Everything seems to be in slow motion. Caesar is already talking to the audience… Perhaps he is giving a summary of the tributes' interviews. But I cannot care to listen. My eyes are glued on Gale and my body ache. I want him close to me now! Why is he walking so slowly?

He looks sorry when he finally steps right in front of me. Maybe he thinks that I'm angry of what he just did. It's true. I'm angry. I… I don't really know why he had to confess all of those things and let the whole Panem know about our love.

_Our love_

"Katniss… I…" I feel my legs move as I rest my weight on my feet. They feel shaky but I don't really need them to stand for long since Gale is here. I reach out for him. The noise starts to drown behind my mind as my palms run over the silky texture of his suit. A second later, he envelops my hands into his and his touch sends electrifying signals into my body. I step closer to him… Then I press myself onto him. He seems to be confused for his eyes looks like they are searching for my motive in mine. He opens his mouth to say something but I capture whatever words he has to say with my lips.

It is such a soft and gentle kiss that I feel like it's too fragile that I can't help it but to cry for its fragility. I fail to notice the tears that are running down my cheeks. I just become aware of them when Gale brushes his fingers across my cheekbones. He pulls away and smiles at me. And the sound of the anthem fills my ears. He holds my hand tightly as we stand in respect for the anthem.

I see the screens focusing on Gale and me. I find myself not caring even if the whole world is seeing me with smudged make-up and with tears still flowing steadily down my cheeks. I watch the people's faces as the camera sweep over them. Their eyes are trained on us. Not on the tributes. But only on Gale and me.

The tragic star-crossed lovers of the 74th Hunger Games

* * *

><p>I must apologize for taking so long on updating this. But I'm not in any way abandoning this story. I love this so much for me to do that. It's just school has been really tough for me these days. Also there are the other series that I write about… They distract me from time to time.<p>

Anyway I'm really glad that a lot of people like this story of mine. Please do continue reading and of course leave your reviews. More reviews motivate me to update faster. I guess we all are motivated by that. I really thank you guys for the support and sorry for any grammatical errors.

I promise I will try to update faster from now on… But I guess I can only do a chapter or two for this one for every month.

Thanks for reading and do review! ^_^


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